Israel starts UAE repatriation flights after FlyDubai crash attempt scare
Israel will begin repatriation flights on Friday to bring back passengers stranded in the United Arab Emirates after commercial travel between the two countries was suspended following an alleged attack by a copilot who tried to crash a Tel Aviv-bound FlyDubai flight this week.
The move comes as authorities in Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and elsewhere deal with the fallout from the incident, which has raised questions about aviation security and added to tensions in a region already shaken by the ongoing US-Iran war. The motive of the copilot is not publicly known, and a regional investigation is under way.
The UAE has cancelled all flights to Israel, disrupting travel for hundreds of passengers who usually fly between the two countries on a normal day. Israel and the UAE agreed on repatriation flights starting Friday, according to an Israeli official who was not authorised to speak publicly. Earlier, El Al had said the UAE was delaying the landing permits needed for it to fly into Dubai. Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport listed Arkia and Israir flights from Dubai due late on Friday and early on Saturday, while El Al was expected to fly passengers from Dubai to Israel on Sunday. Dubai has been a popular destination for Israelis since the two countries established ties in 2020 under the Abraham Accords.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the copilot, identified by Israeli officials as an Omani citizen, had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination", but he gave no evidence for the claim. US President Donald Trump also told reporters that early information he had received suggested links between the attack and Tehran, though he did not elaborate. He said that if it is determined that Iranian agents were behind the attack, the United States will "hit them very hard". An official said Israeli investigators are involved in the probe but the Emiratis are leading it, and added that it is unclear whether the attacker was part of a group. The official also said there is currently no evidence of a link with Iran.
More details have also emerged about the FlyDubai flight, which made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities said on Thursday that captain Smit Machchhar, who was wounded and has been hailed as one of the heroes of the flight, and the copilot were transferred from Saudi Arabia to the UAE. Most of the 182 people on board were Israelis. More than two hours after take-off from Dubai, the aircraft suddenly dropped to 16,600 feet, according to flight-tracking data, before climbing to 21,725 feet and then dropping again to 15,000 feet, where it remained until landing more than an hour later. Soon after the plane levelled off, it sent a Squawk 7700 signal, the code for a general emergency, while flying along the Saudi-Jordanian border. It then sent a 7500 signal for "unlawful interference", indicating something more serious such as a hijacking attempt or an attack. About 15 minutes later, the aircraft briefly entered Jordanian airspace, made a 180-degree turn and headed south-west to Tabuk, where it landed nearly four hours after leaving Dubai.
Trump's suggestion of a possible Iranian link has also added uncertainty to diplomatic efforts linked to the seven-month war in Iran. Iranian officials said on Wednesday they had received an official US response to Tehran's latest proposal to end the conflict, but did not say what it contained or whether it was a rejection. A US official said on Thursday that Washington was sending about 9,000 more troops on ships to the Middle East. The deployment includes the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group with the cruiser USS Chosin, and the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group, which includes the USS John P. Murtha and USS Anchorage. According to the official, that could mean three carriers in the region by the end of October. The move would raise the US naval presence in the Middle East to more than 20,000 sailors and Marines, along with hundreds of aircraft. Trump has also warned that a post-election escalation remains possible despite his earlier promises that the campaign would last only weeks.
In summary, Israel and the UAE are starting repatriation flights for stranded passengers after the FlyDubai incident, even as investigators continue to examine what happened on board, questions remain over any wider links, and the broader regional situation stays tense.
