Dubai–Israel flights suspended until December 15 as standoff drags on

Emirati airline flydubai has extended the suspension of its flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport until December 15, 2026, leaving the route without regular direct commercial services for more than two months. Israeli business outlet Calcalist's tech site CTech reported the extension on Saturday (November 14).

Flydubai halted flights on the route on September 30, after an attempted hijacking aboard flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot attacked the captain with the cockpit's emergency crash axe; passengers and crew overpowered him and the aircraft diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. No lives were lost. The UAE's attorney general later said the investigation had determined that the assistant captain had attempted to seize control of the aircraft in what he described as an attempted suicide operation targeting Ben Gurion Airport.

El Al delays return; Etihad the only direct link

El Al had planned to return to the Dubai route in November but has postponed its restart until December 15, while Arkia has suspended its service to the UAE until further notice. The only regular direct commercial air connection still operating between Israel and the UAE is Etihad Airways' Abu Dhabi–Tel Aviv service; Emirates flights to Tel Aviv and related codeshare services are also suspended.

The standoff stems from a dispute over security arrangements: Israel is pressing for dedicated personnel to be stationed in Dubai and for additional X-ray screening stations, along with new passenger-data reporting rules, and the two sides have yet to agree on the conditions under which Israeli airlines may operate in the UAE. Flydubai had previously extended the suspension to November 30; this latest move pushes it back by another two weeks. The route opened in 2021, after the two countries established diplomatic relations, and had been a key air bridge between the Gulf and Israel.

(File photo: a flydubai Boeing 737. Image: Sam Chui)