The United Arab Emirates has agreed to Israel's security demands, and flights by Israeli airlines to Dubai will resume, N12's Dean Fisher reported Wednesday evening, hours after the suspected terror attack aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
No details were immediately available on when the flights would restart or which of Israel's demands the UAE accepted.
El Al, Israir and Arkia have been barred from flying to the UAE amid a dispute between the Shin Bet and Emirati authorities over security arrangements for Israeli flights. According to reports, the Emiratis refused one of the Shin Bet's new security demands, which Channel 13 reported included additional CT scanning in Dubai of luggage loaded onto Israeli planes. The ban had been set to remain in place until the end of October. Last week, El Al informed travel agents it was suspending its Tel Aviv–Dubai route "in accordance with the instructions of security officials."
In the meantime, Emirati carriers flydubai and Etihad have continued operating the route, with about 16 fully booked flights a day departing Ben Gurion Airport, according to Israeli media reports.
Earlier Wednesday, Transportation Minister Miri Regev demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately allow Israeli airlines to fly to Dubai with Israeli security screening, and called for all flydubai flights to Israel to be halted until the incident is fully investigated. However, Ynet reported that Israel does not plan to stop flydubai's flights, with officials saying they trust the Emiratis.
On Wednesday morning, the Omani co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to crash the Boeing 737 MAX 8, carrying 174 passengers, before Israeli passengers and off-duty pilots on board regained control. The plane landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Defense Minister Israel Katz called the incident "an attempted jihadist terror attack."
