Israeli carriers to start UAE repatriation flights Friday after flydubai cockpit attack

Israeli airlines El Al, Arkia and Israir will start one-way repatriation flights on Friday to help bring home Israelis stranded in the United Arab Emirates, after flydubai suspended services to Israel, the airlines said Thursday.

The Dubai-based carrier temporarily canceled all flights to and from Israel amid a probe into Wednesday’s attempt by one of its copilots to crash a plane en route to Tel Aviv. The suspension has also affected the return of many Israelis booked with Emirates via Dubai to destinations across the Far East, Asia, Africa, and the US.

Emirates has not resumed direct flights to Israel and has a codeshare aircraft agreement with flydubai on the Tel Aviv-Dubai route.

Dubai has become one of the top travel destinations for Israelis, with flydubai previously operating eight to 10 daily flights from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. The Dubai-based carrier launched direct flights to Israel in 2020, shortly after the UAE and Israel established diplomatic relations. For many Israelis, Dubai International Airport has become a gateway to popular destinations, including Thailand, the Philippines, China, and Japan.

Starting Friday, Israeli carriers will operate commercial flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai without passengers and return with Israelis who were originally scheduled to travel back on flydubai and Emirates flydubai connecting flights.

At the prime minister’s direction and following a request from Transportation Minister Miri Regev, an agreement was reached with the Finance Ministry for the government to compensate Israeli airlines for operating one leg of the flight service without passengers.

The Transportation Ministry urged Israeli airlines to maintain fair pricing and refrain from taking advantage of and exploiting the situation.

Following approval from Israeli security and aviation authorities, El Al announced it will sell one-way tickets from Dubai to Tel Aviv at a flat fare of $249, including a piece of carry-on luggage, Arkia at $279, and Israir at $299 to help Israelis currently stranded or connecting in Dubai return to Tel Aviv.

On Friday, El Al will operate two flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv, and Arkia plans to operate one flight, increasing to five flights on Saturday. Israir is preparing to operate 8 to 10 weekly flights on the route.

The Transportation Ministry said that an urgent request was submitted Wednesday night to increase the volume of flights operated by Etihad Airways to help bring Israelis back from Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv.

“Every day flydubai is suspended, it means we have at least 1,700 Israelis stranded,” Ziontours Jerusalem CEO Mark Feldman told The Times of Israel. “There are two types of Israeli travelers seeking a way home: those who are stuck in Dubai and will likely book rescue flights with Israeli airlines, and those who are not yet in Dubai and are rerouting to other destinations in Europe to return to Israel.”

“We have been receiving many inquiries from Israeli passengers booked on Emirates with flydubai connecting flights asking to change their itineraries as there is so much uncertainty,” Feldman said. “Israeli travelers stranded in any country outside of the UAE, who are due to return to Israel via Dubai with Emirates, can rebook to return via European cities including Rome and Budapest, or closer Tel Aviv destinations such as Athens or Larnaca at no additional cost, but from there they have to buy a one-way ticket to return home.”

The UAE on Thursday launched investigations into possible “terrorist activity” aboard flydubai’s Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which the day before made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after the copilot stabbed the pilot in an apparent attempt to crash the plane full of Israeli passengers.

“Until now, when Israelis booked flights with a foreign airline, their main concern was whether the flight would be canceled or the airline would suspend service to Israel if the security situation escalated,” said Eshet Tours CEO Gil Hahn. “The flydubai incident has introduced an entirely new consideration: their sense of personal safety during the flight itself.”

“We are already hearing from customers who say they would prefer to fly with Israeli airlines in the near future, even if it costs a little more, and we may well see this trend gain momentum,” said Hahn.