Emirates halts Israel flights after flydubai cockpit attack

Emirates, one of the world's largest international carriers operating from the United Arab Emirates, announced Thursday afternoon that it will not allow passengers whose final destination is Ben Gurion Airport to board its flights to Dubai.

In an official statement, the airline clarified that its codeshare operations with flydubai on routes to and from Tel Aviv are suspended immediately and until further notice. The move is a severe blow to Israeli travellers who rely on Dubai as a major transit hub for connecting flights to destinations across the Far East, Australia and Africa.

Regarding passengers already en route on connecting flights toward Tel Aviv, Emirates stated that they willl help them as much as possible to enable them to complete their journeys. The airline advised all affected customers to contact their travel agents directly, reach out to the company's service centre, or check for updates on the official website.

Emirates' decision follows directly on an earlier update from Israel's Transport Ministry, according to which flydubai is also suspending all flights to and from Israel. Flydubai was considered one of the few foreign carriers that continued flying to Israel regularly even during difficult periods, and the suspension of its operations leaves thousands of Israelis stranded in the UAE with no regular return option.

To address the stranded passengers and provide an available aviation alternative, Israeli airlines are preparing to operate special rescue flights starting tomorrow to bring Israeli citizens back from the UAE. The operation of these flights is contingent on receiving final security and governmental approvals from all relevant Israeli authorities.

Alongside the Israeli efforts, an urgent appeal was submitted Wednesday evening by Israeli government officials aimed at increasing the flight capacity of Etihad Airways, which operates from Abu Dhabi, in order to expand the evacuation and return window for Israelis in the region.

Background: the flydubai cockpit attack

The dramatic decisions come in the wake of a severe incident that occurred Wednesday on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Israel, when an Omani co-pilot stabbed the Indian captain, Sumit Machechar. The Indian pilot fought off the attacker and managed to open the cockpit door, and Israeli passengers rushed to help and subdued the assailant.

Israel defined the incident as a terror attack, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated in interviews with American media networks that the Omani pilot planned "an Israeli September 11th." Netanyahu clarified that Israel had no advance warning or specific intelligence indication of the incident, and that "we will know soon if Iran had a connection to this."

The UAE Attorney General formally ordered the establishment of a special investigative team, and emphasised that UAE law enforcement and investigative authorities have full jurisdiction and investigative powers in the matter, since the aircraft belongs to an Emirati airline.

Israel's security establishment is treating the case with extreme severity and defining it as a serious security failure. A senior security source said it represents a first-degree intelligence and security failure, and the incident exposes significant flaws in the screening and vetting systems for flight crews of foreign airlines operating routes to and from Israel.

It should be noted that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar warned months before the incident that the security envelope provided on flights arriving from the UAE is insufficient and leaves serious security gaps. These warnings led in recent weeks to sharp debates and considerable tension between the Shin Bet and Israeli airlines.