Israel Trusts UAE Despite Hijacking Scare, Flights to Continue

Despite a recent hijacking scare involving a Flydubai flight, an Israeli official stated that there are no plans to halt the airline's operations to Israel. "We simply trust the Emiratis," the official said, highlighting that Flydubai transported one million Israelis last year, with many using the flights for connections to the East. The official credited "heroic Israelis" on the flight, along with two pilots, for averting disaster.

The comments came after Transportation Minister Miri Regev urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately suspend Flydubai flights pending an investigation into the incident. The scare occurred when a co-pilot, allegedly from Oman, reportedly attempted to crash the plane. An Emirati pilot, with the assistance of Israeli passengers, is said to have regained control.

Regev argued that Flydubai violated the aviation agreement between Israel and the UAE, which stipulates that only pilots from countries with diplomatic ties to Israel can land there. An Israeli official noted that the co-pilot had no prior history of landing in Israel. A Transportation Ministry official described the event as a "mega-event" that nearly resulted in a major disaster.

Regev also demanded that Netanyahu permit Israeli airlines to fly to Dubai with Israeli security screening. Israeli carriers are currently barred from flying to Dubai due to security dispute.

The Flydubai flight, en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, declared an international emergency code and a hijacking code over Jordan. The aircraft turned back to Saudi Arabian airspace, flying at a lower altitude before heading west within the kingdom. The flight carried 174 passengers, including 27 children. The alert triggered an urgent security consultation in Israel involving Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, with fighter jets scrambled.