Aviation leaders gathered at the Airport Show in Dubai World Trade Centre this week to discuss how airports across the region are adapting to a sharp rise in drone and missile threats, with several speakers calling for heavier investment in air-defence and counter-drone technology.
Tim Walder, chairman of the British Aviation Group, told the conference that the Ministry of Defence has recorded roughly 2,265 drone attacks since the outbreak of the Iran war at the end of February. Dubai International Airport alone has logged 111 aerial threat alerts during that period. Walder said no security system can ever be completely failsafe, and airports need contingency plans for a range of attack scenarios rather than relying on a single layer of defence.
Udi Lowy, sales director for the Gulf and India at D-Fend Solutions, presented the company's EnforceAir Plus system, which is designed to intercept unauthorised drones and land them safely rather than shooting them down. Binu Gopal, chief operating officer of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, outlined new measures being rolled out at regional airports, including tighter perimeter screening and expanded police patrols.
Speakers pointed to recent Houthi strikes on Saudi airports as evidence of how exposed civil aviation infrastructure has become to modern warfare. Several also described plans for future terminals, including Al Maktoum International Airport, to incorporate blast-resistant designs and hardened concrete shells from the outset rather than retrofitting defences later.
The three-day event, which runs until October 14 at Dubai World Trade Centre, has drawn airport operators and security vendors from across the region to discuss how to keep flights running safely amid an increasingly unpredictable security environment.