Transportation Minister Miri Regev is demanding an immediate halt to all flydubai flights to Israel, as the fallout widens from Wednesday morning's suspected terror attack aboard the airline's Dubai to Tel Aviv flight, and Israeli passengers stranded in Saudi Arabia expressed fury that they will be flown home on a foreign airline rather than by the Israeli Air Force.
According to Mako, Regev is calling for all flydubai flights to Israel to be stopped until the circumstances of the incident are fully clarified. The Jerusalem Post reported that she asked the Shin Bet to halt all of the airline's flights into and out of the country. Since Israeli security officials barred El Al, Israir and Arkia from flying to the UAE, flydubai has been the only airline operating flights between the UAE and Israel.
The more than 170 passengers of flight FZ1073 have been waiting in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, since the plane made an emergency landing there. Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to send military rescue planes, no official approval was granted for Israeli Air Force or other Israeli aircraft to land on Saudi soil, even for a rescue mission, Mako reported. The passengers are instead due to fly home on a foreign airline. According to Ynet, the Mossad is managing contacts with Saudi Arabia on the matter.
"We went through trauma here. At least let Israeli hands bring us home," passengers told Mako.
Meanwhile, new details emerged about the suspected attacker. An Israeli official told Ynet that a check found the Omani co-pilot had never before landed in Israel. Oman has no formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Israel Hayom reported that all flydubai aircrews are now undergoing thorough background checks, and flydubai flights landing at Ben Gurion Airport are being directed to a separate area for inspection of the aircraft and crews.
Saudi aviation operator Cluster2 said both the captain and co-pilot were taken to hospital with injuries, while passengers were treated in the airport terminal, CNN reported.
Passengers described new details of the ordeal. Adam, who was seated mid-cabin, told Channel 13 that the plane's electrical systems suddenly shut down. "We just experienced a sudden lockdown, a cutoff of the plane's electrical grid, the multimedia, everything," he said. In a video filmed on board, a passenger with blood on his body said: "We have taken control of the terrorists and are about to land. Everyone on the plane is healthy and well except the pilot. We need help."
Walla reported that Israeli officials are also concerned about copycat and inspired attacks.
Shares of El Al and Israir jumped on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange following the incident, Ynet reported.
