Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world’s busiest hub for international passengers, remains partially operational as of March 4, 2026, with only a restricted number of flights permitted amid ongoing airspace closures and security concerns stemming from the escalating Middle East conflict involving U.S., Israeli and Iranian military actions.
Dubai International Airport
Dubai Airports, the operator of DXB and the secondary Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), confirmed that limited operations resumed on the evening of March 2 following a near-total suspension that began February 28. However, major carriers including flagship Emirates have extended the halt on all regular scheduled commercial flights to and from Dubai until 23:59 UAE time on March 4, prioritizing only select repatriation, cargo and repositioning services.
In its latest advisory on the official dubaiairports.ae website, Dubai Airports stated: “Limited airport operations have resumed with a small number of flights operating from DXB and DWC.” The authority urged passengers not to proceed to either airport unless directly contacted by their airline with a confirmed departure time, emphasizing that schedules remain highly fluid and subject to change based on regional airspace availability.
Emirates, which accounts for the majority of DXB traffic, reinforced the message in travel updates: “All scheduled Emirates flights to and from Dubai remain suspended until 2359hrs UAE time on 4 March, due to airspace closures across the region.” The airline noted it is operating a limited number of passenger repatriation and freighter flights on March 3 and 4, with priority given to earlier bookings. Flydubai and other carriers have aligned with similar restrictions.
The disruptions trace back to precautionary airspace measures implemented by the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority following retaliatory strikes and heightened tensions. Neighboring countries including Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and others imposed comparable closures, creating a broad no-fly corridor that severed typical flight paths. Flight-tracking platforms like Flightradar24 and FlightAware report over 12,300 cancellations across seven major Gulf airports from February 28 through March 3, with DXB among the most impacted. More than 80% of scheduled flights to and from Dubai have been axed in recent days, contributing to a regional total exceeding thousands of affected services and stranding tens of thousands of passengers globally.
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Despite the constraints, some activity has returned. Limited departures and arrivals — often focused on repatriation efforts for stranded nationals — have operated since March 2 evening. Examples include select long-haul repatriation flights coordinated under strict safety protocols. However, routine commercial traffic remains heavily curtailed, with most international carriers rerouting or canceling connections through the Gulf.
The situation has ripple effects worldwide. Airlines such as Air France, KLM, Air Canada and United have suspended or adjusted services to Dubai and other regional points through early March or beyond. Governments and travel advisories urge caution, with many recommending against non-essential travel to the UAE until stability returns.
Dubai Airports continues close coordination with authorities to prioritize safety while facilitating essential movements. A prior update noted minor damage to a concourse at DXB from an earlier incident, quickly contained without broader operational impact. No major new incidents have been reported since the limited resumption.
Travelers planning to use Dubai International Airport should:
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– Verify flight status directly via airline channels, the Emirates website or dubaiairports.ae flight information pages. – Avoid traveling to the airport without explicit airline confirmation to prevent overcrowding and security bottlenecks. – Monitor real-time tools like FlightAware or Flightradar24 for live updates on arrivals, departures and delays. – Prepare for rebookings, refunds or alternative routing, as flexible waiver policies remain in effect from many carriers. – Check government travel warnings, as evolving airspace rules could further restrict even limited operations.
Industry analysts describe the current phase as a “phased recovery” rather than full normalization, with potential for incremental increases in permitted flights if de-escalation progresses. Dubai’s position as a global transit powerhouse — handling over 90 million passengers annually pre-crisis — makes its constrained status particularly disruptive to worldwide connectivity.
As the region navigates these challenges, DXB’s partial functionality underscores efforts to maintain a lifeline for essential travel amid widespread closures elsewhere. Full resumption hinges on broader security developments, with authorities pledging ongoing updates.
For now, Dubai International Airport stands technically open but far from business as usual, processing only approved movements in a tightly controlled environment.
The delay in the decision is preventing major expansion on the site
Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter
07:43, 15 Apr 2026
A map of how Dorset Innovation Park might look(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
A significant increase in employment at Dorset’s Innovation Park could materialise next year – once the Ministry of Defence finalises its future spending plans. Councillors have been informed that a delay in spending decisions by the MoD is already preventing one major expansion on the site, which already has planning approval, with other potential developments likely to proceed as soon as funding is confirmed.
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Several of the companies on the site are defence-related including those working on the development of autonomous and semi-autonomous machines for land, sea and air.
The Dorset Council-owned enterprise zone site has recently completed the acquisition of additional land next to the site with discussions also taking place about attracting a hotel after a consultant’s report indicated it should be commercially viable.
Other discussions under way include plans for a new gatehouse, which is currently regarded as a drawback for the Winfrith site, and a proposal to establish a catering outlet, possibly located at the Battlelab.
Councillors on the shareholders committee have also been informed that approaches are being made for a permanent education satellite facility on the park – with discussions having taken place with Bournemouth University, Yeovil College and Plymouth University.
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The shareholders committee was told that Fareham Borough Council, which owns a similar business park, ‘took off’ after securing a permanent higher education facility on its site.
Businesses already operating at the Dorset site are understood to be supportive of securing an education partner, which would assist with their own workplace training programmes, with many indicating it is crucial to future job creation and staff retention.
Outstanding issues include public transport links to the site from the surrounding area, with priority being given to connections from Wool railway station to the Innovation Park – proposals under consideration include establishing a bus route and exploring alternative options such as hire electric bikes and scooters.
Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for finance, Cllr Simon Clifford, told the shareholders meeting he was ‘heartened’ by the progress being made by the company which will eventually assume day-to-day management of the site – a responsibility currently being shared with Dorset Council officers.
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The shares of IT companies surged up to 5% on Wednesday, amid overall optimism on Dalal Street and Wall Street following hopes for fresh Iran-US talks, along with easing concerns about AI-led disruption.
After taking a significant beating earlier this year due to AI worries and war-led inflationary concerns, the stocks have partially recovered so far in April. Nifty IT jumped more than 2% to emerge as one of the top sectoral gainers on the markets today.
Fresh hopes for Iran-US peace talks
Pakistani officials cited by the Associated Press indicated on Tuesday that Islamabad has proposed a second round of talks to the United States and Iran, while US Vice President JD Vance earlier said negotiations with Iran “did make some progress” and US President Donald Trump said earlier “we’ve been called by the other side” and “they want to work a deal.”Trump hinted at the second round of talks, saying Iran talks ‘could be happening over the next two days’ in Pakistan, as quoted by Reuters, citing the NY Post. He said that Washington was more ‘inclined’ to go to Pakistan for the peace talks that could possibly bring an end to the nearly seven-week-long war in the Middle East. The renewed hopes for fresh peace talks, after the previous round collapsed over the weekend, boosted investor sentiment.
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Earlier, the raging war in the oil-rich Middle East and the subsequent rally in energy prices had led to inflationary worries in the US. IT companies derive a major portion of their revenue from the US economy, inflationary worries and concerns around subsequent lower demand impacted IT stocks back home on Dalal Street. However, the renewed optimism has boosted investor sentiment.
AI worries
Before the Middle East war, it was artificial intelligence that dampened sentiment for the IT stocks earlier this year. The tech stocks saw a massive decline in February with the launch of new and innovative artificial intelligence tools by AI startup Anthropic, which triggered worries around disruption in the software services. Back on Dalal Street, shares of Infosys, Wipro, TCS, HCLTech and other IT companies, saw a sharp selloff.However, while some doomsday prophets painted a grim picture for IT shareholders, some analysts were quick to point out that an overall replacement of software engineers by AI is unlikely. The new technology would instead increase efficiency across the companies, boosting margins, according to them.
Goldman Sachs released its Q1 earnings on Monday. During an analyst’s call, David Solomon, Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, said he is hugely forward-leaning on the power of artificial intelligence to accelerate growth at the bank. “Whenever you have accelerations in new technology, there are going to be bumps, there will be risk issues, and recalibrations. But the power of this technology to use it in an enterprise to increase efficiency is incredibly constructive,” he added. Entrepreneur and financial expert Gurmeet Chaddha highlighted that Solomon claimed that AI taking over enterprise software is not easy.
IT shares rally
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) shares, which recently fell after its Q4 results, gained more than 3% today to trade at Rs 2,551 apiece.
Wall Street ended higher yesterday, with the S&P 500 jumping more than 1% to close near the record high level it had hit in January. Tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained nearly 2% while Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7%. Microsoft shares gained more than 2%, while Amazon rallied nearly 4%.
Calm before the storm?
Despite the optimism, some caution is warranted. After previous Claude models rattled investor confidence in the sector, Anthropic’s latest release, a preview of a model called Mythos is spooking investors. “Mythos’ significant improvement in software engineering-related tasks is a departure from the trend of incremental improvements between consecutive frontier models,” Kotak Institutional Equities said in a note. “These developments could have implications for IT services firms.”
Additionally, Trump is notorious for his decision flip flops and the peace talks have already once failed, keeping investors on the edge and sentiment fragile.
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(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
Papilo, the Swinton-based waste management group, has completed its third acquisition in the last 12 months(Image: Papilo)
A Greater Manchester waste management group backed by private equity firm Palatine has made its third acquisition in a year. Papilo has acquired REKK Recycling, which is based in Uddingston near Glasgow, in a move that also expands its reach across the UK.
Michael Gibson, who joined Swinton-based Papilo as CEO earlier this month, said: “REKK is an excellent strategic addition for Papilo and enhances our geographical presence into Scotland.
“Like ourselves, the company’s ethos is built on best-in-class customer service and on supporting better environmental outcomes through recycling. Founders Steven and John have done a fine job in building the business and I am pleased that along with their team they are remaining with the group for the next phase of growth.”
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Greg Holmes, senior investment director at Palatine Impact Fund said: “REKK is an excellent fit for Papilo – not just geographically, but in its shared commitment to diverting waste from landfill and supporting clients to take a more responsible approach to resource management.
“This is Papilo’s third acquisition in under a year as we build a business of true scale in the circular economy in partnership with the ambitious management team and we are well-positioned to continue that growth through further strategic M&A.”
The transaction, whose value was not disclosed, was funded by Kartesia and Virgin Money. Papilo was advised by Gateley (legal), Fellwood Advisory (debt advisory), MHA Smalley (financial and tax due diligence) and Luminii Consulting (commercial due diligence). Advisers to REKK included KBS (corporate finance) and Mackrell (legal).
The Federal Government publishes the spending and revenue numbers on a monthly basis. The charts and tables below give an in-depth review of the Federal Budget, showing where the money is coming from, where it
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