The Iran conflict has reached one of the world's most critical aviation arteries. Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest air hub, sustained damage on Saturday night as Iran launched a sweeping wave of retaliatory missile and drone strikes across Gulf states in response to the U.S.-Israel military assault on Iranian soil.

The airport operator confirmed that one concourse at Dubai International sustained minor damage in an incident that was quickly contained, and that four employees sustained injuries. Emergency response teams were immediately deployed and managed the situation in coordination with relevant authorities. Due to contingency plans already in place, most terminals had been cleared of passengers before the incident occurred. 

Dramatic footage showed people fleeing a smoke-filled passageway at the airport as the evacuation unfolded. Elsewhere in the UAE, a drone strike at Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport killed one person and injured seven. In Qatar, missiles were intercepted over the capital Doha, while officials at Bahrain International Airport confirmed a drone strike had damaged the facility.

The damage extended far beyond the airports. An intercepted Iranian drone caused a minor fire on the outer facade of the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah, while one of the berths at Dubai's Jebel Ali Port also caught fire because of debris from an aerial interception.

Iran responded by firing missiles toward the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait. Several of those countries closed their airspace to commercial traffic, bringing air travel across large parts of the Middle East to a standstill. Emirates cancelled 492 flights, Flydubai cancelled 329, and Etihad Airways cancelled 212 flights on February 28 alone. 

The UAE's foreign ministry said its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed a new wave of Iranian missiles and drones launched toward the country. Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry described the strikes as "blatant Iranian aggression" and a "flagrant violation" of national sovereignty.

The scale of disruption to global aviation is unprecedented in recent memory. With the Middle East serving as a crossroads for east-west air travel, the fallout from this conflict is now being felt by millions of travellers far beyond the region's borders.