Flydubai Flight to Tel Aviv Declares Security Incident, Stranding Hundreds

A Flydubai flight en route to Tel Aviv from the United Arab Emirates reported an unusual security incident on Wednesday, causing alarm among Israeli security officials who feared a potential hijacking. The incident led to a temporary halt in operations at Ben Gurion Airport (Natbag) and left hundreds of Israeli passengers stranded in Saudi Arabia following an emergency landing.

In response to the situation, the Israeli mobile carrier HOT Mobile announced it would provide free calling and data services to all its customers on the stranded Flydubai flight. This service will remain available until all passengers have safely returned home.

Following the event, Israeli airline El Al issued a statement addressing concerns from Israelis abroad wishing to return to the country. The airline announced it would launch a dedicated WhatsApp line for booking El Al flights from any of its global destinations, even for passengers who initially traveled with other airlines. El Al is also preparing to dispatch a special aircraft from Bangkok to Israel in the coming days to assist Israelis in Thailand who wish to return on an Israeli carrier.