Stranded Israeli travelers in dire straits as Dubai flights remain grounded

Flydubai has suspended all direct flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv at least through October, and Israeli airlines are currently not permitted to fly to the UAE, leaving Israeli travelers still stranded in Dubai with very few ways to return home, and thousands of others who planned to reach the Far East via the Gulf with pricey alternatives.

After the September 30 attempted terror attack by an Omani copilot aboard a flydubai flight en route to Ben Gurion Airport, the Dubai-based carrier canceled all services to Tel Aviv, pending an ongoing investigation into the incident. At the recommendation of Israeli authorities and amid unresolved discussions over security procedures, flydubai temporarily suspended operations to Tel Aviv at least through October 31.

“What happens on November 1 remains a mystery,” Ziontours Jerusalem CEO Mark Feldman told The Times of Israel. “We have several thousand people, booked to fly from Tel Aviv via Dubai over the next two and a half months, who are asking what they should do.”

The effort by the Israeli government to return thousands of Israelis home on special repatriation flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv operated by local airlines – El Al, Arkia, and Israir – was halted abruptly on Wednesday due to a fallout with Emirati authorities over security procedures. The standoff, which still needs to be resolved, is understood to stem largely from a dispute over protocols demanded by Israeli security authorities at Dubai airport, including baggage screening and the stationing of security personnel.

An Israeli delegation, headed by senior Transportation Ministry officials and including security officials from the Shin Bet agency, was meant to leave for the UAE as part of an effort to reach a new security arrangement between the two countries, according to Hebrew media reports. As of Sunday, the delegation had not departed because of a lack of initial understandings on the security framework that would allow the resumption of flights between the countries.

The Transportation Ministry was not available for comment.

Feldman said that Israelis in Dubai or those looking to travel back via the region had to book alternative routes, via other cities, mostly in Europe, but at a higher cost than their original ticket. Another option for Israeli passengers stranded in Dubai is to travel to nearby Abu Dhabi and catch flights with Etihad Airways, which is still operating out of the UAE to Tel Aviv. Etihad operates daily flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi, which is currently the only direct air route from Israel to the UAE.

More than 7,415 Israeli passengers have returned to Tel Aviv from Dubai on special flights operated by Israeli airlines and via Abu Dhabi on commercial flights by Etihad, the Transportation Ministry said on Tuesday, shortly before the airlift was halted.

“There are maybe a few hundred Israelis stuck in Dubai who can return from Abu Dhabi with Etihad, which historically has been more expensive, as flydubai was offering three times or four times as many flights a day to and from Israel and had a competitive edge, which now has been lost,” said Feldman. “The real question, 11 days into the disruption, is what security protocols would allow flydubai to return and Israeli airlines to fly to the UAE.”

“So far, the answer from Israel has been a deafening shrug,” Feldman remarked.

Dubai has been one of the most popular destinations for Israelis since the UAE signed the Abraham Accords in 2020. For many Israelis, Dubai International Airport has become a gateway to popular destinations, including Thailand, the Philippines, China, and Japan. The UAE accounted for ​1.5 million, or 8.3 percent, of the passengers traveling through Ben Gurion Airport in 2025, behind only Greece ​and the United States.

In late February, at the outset of the US-Israel war with Iran, Israeli security authorities, led by the Shin Bet, halted Israeli airlines’ flights to the UAE. Still, 837,000 passengers, or 7.5% of the total traveling through Ben Gurion, ​flew there during the first eight months of 2026, half of them on flydubai. In September, more than 75,000 Israelis flew with flydubai through Ben Gurion, according to data by the Israeli Aviation Authority.

In recent months, all three Israeli airlines have ​asked local security authorities for permission to resume commercial flights to Dubai. Flag carrier El Al was gearing up for plans to operate at least two daily flights starting in November, pending necessary approvals from the relevant state authorities. Israir sought to operate as many as 10 weekly flights ​between Tel Aviv and Dubai, while Arkia said it would resume flights as soon as operational and logistical readiness allows.

“If the government fails to reach a security arrangement that allows flights to Dubai to resume, Israeli consumers will get the short end of the stick, with few travel options and no choice but to pay higher prices to fly abroad,” said Feldman.

Reuters contributed to this report.