The European full-service carrier’s surprise move comes amid its peers restoring flights to parts of the conflict-ridden region. However, the industry, in general, is in a wait and watch mode, with the announcement of United States’ fresh sanctions package against Tehran all set to heat up things further.

“Finnair flights between Helsinki and Dubai have been cancelled between October 25, 2026 and March 27, 2027,” the carrier said in a statement.

Since the conflict began in February, the carrier has suspended a significant portion of its Middle East operations.

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The airport is on track to surpass pre-pandemic numbers by the end of the year, with total passenger traffic for the first nine months of 2023 standing at 64.5 million, which is 39.3% higher than the same period last year and 1% above the traffic of the same period in 2019.

Dubai Airports predicts that annual passenger traffic will reach 86.8 million, driven by strong growth throughout the year and an expected surge in numbers during the fourth quarter. This forecast is an increase on the previous prediction of 85 million passengers for 2023.

Dubai has rebounded quickly from the COVID-19 pandemic, benefiting from its safe-haven status amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and relaxed residency rules, which have boosted property prices.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said, “We’re thrilled but not entirely surprised that DXB is all set to surpass the pre-pandemic milestone well ahead of our initial projections by almost a year. Our outlook for the remainder of this year and the next remains optimistic.”

The statement from Dubai Airports did not specify what would lead to the surge in passenger numbers in the fourth quarter, but Dubai will host the U.N.’s COP 28 climate summit from November 30. India was DXB’s top country destination until September 30, with 8.9 million passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, one of the world’s longest unresolved conflicts escalated once again on October 7, when Hamas orchestrated an attack on southern Israel.

The immeasurable cost to lives and livelihoods aside, the economies of Israel, its neighbours, and the world at large are also taking a hit.

There are apprehensions of trade disruptions, oil price hikes, and further inflation compounding with the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is a tumultuous time, especially for the aviation industry.

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The numbers show a decrease of 19.8 percent compared to the previous year. Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths, said in a statement, “The Covid-19 pandemic is of a very different nature than any previous crisis in that it has affected supply, demand and health security and by extension, the entire global economy. We’re dealing with a monster here for which we clearly have to find a solution. Until there is a proven level of confidence medically that people can travel without fear of spreading or contracting the virus, the situation we find ourselves in is likely to continue.”

Recently, the UAE airlines Emirates and Etihad announced the resumption of flight cancellations to select destinations as countries are slowly easing their respective lockdowns. According to Brian Pearce, chief economist of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), “Critically, we need to see [first] a reduction in COVID-19 risks, the risk of countries importing COVID-19. And so, we either need to have a vaccine, reliable tests, or the widespread acceptance of layered measures that IATA and others are proposing [before we can see a recovery].”

IATA data pointed out that aviation and tourism account for 13 percent of the UAE’s GDP. It seems that aircraft movements dropped 18.7 percent year-on-year from 95,857 to 77,920 in the beginning of February, media reports said.

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The realtimeDXB platform  is capable of processing real-time data from 50 operational systems across two airports. It will gather data generated by over 50 systems. In fact, the use of real-time data and hi-tech smart gates will enhance customer experience.

It is reported that the facility comprises 120 staff working in 96 stations with 123 video wall screens to ensure smooth operations every day. In addition, it visualises flight traffic to ensure clear flight and on-ground operations at Dubai’s airports.

Damian Ellacott, vice-president of the Airport Operations Control Centre, told the media that, “As a system that makes key operational information visible in real-time to all service partners involved in the day to day running of the airport, realtimeDXB is a major step forward in our journey to develop common situational awareness.”

In the first phase, the system will focus on the aircraft flow, media reports said. The system will monitor and visualise airfield activity such as aircraft and vehicle movement, flight data information, performance analysis, alert generation among others. 

Currently, DXB is working on advancing the system as part of its second phase, with main focus on passenger and baggage flows within terminals. DXB is the world’s busiest hub in terms of international passenger volumes. It is also recognised for its customer service. 

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According to reports, the Dubai airport passenger traffic reached 41.3 million passengers in the first half of 2019 amid the runway closure.

The airport had shut down its southern runway for the purpose of rehabilitation from April 16 to May 30. Dubai airport’s runway closure led to a reduction of its runway capacity by half its normal size and led to a reduction in the passenger flights by 32 percent.  The number of flights into the airport dropped by 11.6 percent to 178,383 while the cargo volume fell by 18.3 percent to 1.04 million.

“A significant portion of the cargo traffic at Dubai International is belly-hold which was impacted by the Southern runway rehabilitation programme,” Dubai Airports said in a statement.

India retained the position of being the most popular destination for Dubai travellers, with traffic for the first half of 2019 reaching 5.7 million. Delhi and Mumbai were the most popular cities in India. Saudi Arabia follows to be second with 3.1 million travellers, followed by United Kingdom with 2.8 million.

Most of the flights from Dubai airport were redirected to Dubai World Central, an international airport situated in Jebel Ali. The redirecting of flights caused an increase in the passenger traffic in DWC to almost double its usual traffic.  DWC had reported passenger traffic of 517,813 in the first half of 2018, which doubled to 1.2 million over the same period in 2019.

The introduction of smart gates in the Dubai international airport has reportedly reduced the waiting time by 25 percent in the first half of 2019.

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