Passengers flee smoke-filled Dubai airport as Iran attacks major Gulf travel hubs

By Laura Sharman, CNN

(CNN) — Passengers rushed to evacuate one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday after a reported Iranian strike, as Tehran hit out at travel hubs in US-friendly Gulf states.

Dramatic footage shows people fleeing a smoke-filled passageway at Dubai International Airport, where officials confirmed four staff had been injured.

Airport officials did not say what sparked the evacuation. But aviation sources told the Reuters news agency that an overnight Iranian attack damaged one of the terminals at the airport.

Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is the biggest tourism and trade hub in the Middle East. Its airport is one of the world’s busiest, serving as a home base for Emirates, a leading international airline.

UAE airports have established themselves as key nodes for connecting flights all over the world. Last year, Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s hubs handled a combined 127.7 million passengers, according to official figures.

Other Gulf states including Qatar and Bahrain also came under attack, piercing the kingdoms’ polished image as luxurious havens in an unstable region.

The UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, which all host US military bases, were targeted by Iran in retaliation to the US and Israeli strikes that have battered the Islamic Republic starting Saturday, killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

At Dubai airport, a concourse sustained “minor damage” and emergency response teams were “immediately deployed” in Sunday’s evacuation, Dubai Airport told CNN.

“Four staff sustained injuries and received prompt medical attention.”

Eyewitnesses told CNN that ambulances rushed toward the airport following the emergency.

Dubai Airports confirmed that all flights in and out of the city’s two main airports have been suspended until further notice.

“Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport at this time and to contact their respective airlines directly for the latest updates regarding their flights,” the Dubai Media Office said.

In Dubai’s ritzy Palm Jumeirah district – a global symbol of the emirate’s opulence and serenity – an explosion hit the Fairmont Hotel, leaving it in flames, shortly after videos verified by CNN showed the moment a drone appeared to dive toward the ground.

Elsewhere in the UAE, a drone strike at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport – another key international gateway – killed one person and injured seven, the airport said in a statement on social media.

In Qatar, missiles were intercepted over the capital Doha, while officials at Bahrain International Airport said a drone strike has damaged the facility.

Bahrain’s interior ministry said the strike resulted in “material damage without loss of life,” adding that authorities were securing the site.

Videos geolocated and verified by CNN show a large fire at a residential high-rise building in Bahrain’s capital Manama.

A wide corridor of airspace over the Middle East was closed this weekend.

Airlines suspended flights across the region on Saturday, including to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and flight-tracking maps showed its airspace virtually empty.

Many airports were closed on Saturday. Airlines internationally announced canceled and disrupted flights to the Middle East on Saturday.

Virgin Atlantic announced it had canceled its flight from London Heathrow to Dubai on Saturday, as “a precautionary measure.”

Lufthansa confirmed cancellations of flights to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, citing the safety of passengers and crew members.

British Airways said it was cancelling flights to and from Tel Aviv and Bahrain for several days. It also said its flight on Saturday to Amman, Jordan, has been grounded.

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