Over the last 20 years or so, we've had to deal with numerous challenges, but we've always bounced back and used these opportunities to continue our growth and influence on global aviation, as we have in the past. When the supply chain gets disrupted, it's incredibly important to keep people informed and ensure the safety and security of those already at the airport while we handle the backlog and get passengers to their destinations. The airport has remained calm and composed, and the many comments from our customers suggest that, for the most part, we're doing a reasonably good job. We are very confident that we are doing everything possible to preserve both our capabilities and passenger confidence to return to 100% capacity as quickly as we can. Underscoring Dubai's strategic importance, with two-thirds of the world's population within an eight-hour flight, Griffiths concluded with a firm pledge: 'The world cannot do without us. The threat level has changed, and we've been able to keep aircraft in the air, routing through corridors designated by the GCAA, and safely diverting them to outstations.' In an exclusive interview with CNN, Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, dismissed any long-term concerns about the sector's trajectory, stating: 'We trust the capabilities of Dubai's aviation industry.' Regarding the operational response to recent challenges, Griffiths noted that threat detection and response have been highly effective: 'Firstly, the ability to detect and respond to threats as they unfold has been very effective and efficient. We're back to about 40-45% of normal traffic movements.' He highlighted significant recovery milestones and passenger support, noting: 'We facilitated over 1,000,000 passenger journeys in the last 17 days, and the recovery rate is significant.' The CEO added that strategic measures have yielded positive results: 'That seems to have worked pretty well. We've closed airspace and opened it. Now, onward and upward. On a normal day, we handle around 320,000 customers through DXB.'
