Israel Demands Flydubai Flights Halted After Suspected Pilot Terror Attempt

Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately suspend all Flydubai flights to Israel. The demand follows an incident on Wednesday, September 30, where the co-pilot, an Omani national, allegedly attempted to carry out a terror attack by crashing the plane. Regev stated that Flydubai violated an agreement between Israel and the UAE, which permits only pilots from countries with diplomatic ties to land in Israel. An Israeli source indicated the Omani pilot had no prior experience flying to Israel or landing at Ben Gurion Airport. A Ministry of Transportation official described the event as an "extraordinary event" where a "great catastrophe was narrowly averted."

Regev also urged Netanyahu to arrange immediate flights for Israeli airlines to Dubai, with Israeli security screening. Currently, Israeli carriers are prohibited from flying to Dubai due to security disagreements. Meanwhile, opposition leader Yair Lapid clarified his earlier statement about not causing public panic, emphasizing that the security briefing with Netanyahu on September 29 did not mention any incident similar to the Flydubai event.

The Israel Airports Authority is preparing to receive passengers on a special rescue flight from Saudi Arabia. A dedicated waiting and information area for relatives of Flydubai passengers has been set up at Terminal 1 of Ben Gurion Airport. The authority urged only relatives to come to the terminal to ensure efficient assistance.

Following the incident, shares of Israeli airlines El Al and Israir saw significant increases on the stock exchange, rising by 7% and over 9% respectively. Analysts suggest the incident may lead Israeli passengers to favor domestic airlines, which employ Israeli pilots, often former IDF air force personnel, and maintain a state-funded, stringent security system.