UAE Threatens to Cancel Israeli Flights Over Unusual Baggage Demand

Israeli airlines Arkia and Israir faced the potential cancellation of rescue flights from Dubai just before departure due to an unexpected demand from the United Arab Emirates. After initially revoking all approvals overnight, the UAE granted permission for Israeli planes to land but stipulated that Israeli companies must send additional cargo planes solely for passenger luggage. Arkia had planned two rescue flights, one on Friday and another on Saturday, while Israir was awaiting final approvals for its planned flights. El Al had already canceled its scheduled rescue flights for the day.

The renewed approvals came after hours of intense negotiations between senior Israeli and Emirati officials, during which all landing permits for Israeli airlines in Dubai were initially canceled. This led to El Al officially announcing the cancellation of its planned rescue flights. Israel criticized the UAE's actions, stating that approvals had been granted and then rescinded, causing difficulties for Israeli security officials.

Earlier, Emirates airline had announced that passengers with Israel as their final destination would not be allowed to board its flights to Dubai from other global locations. This decision caused an uproar, and following discussions involving Israel's Minister of Transportation Miri Regev, security officials, and Emirati representatives, it was agreed that rescue flights would resume on Friday morning. Emirates subsequently agreed to reinstate its Dubai-Israel flights once Israeli airlines resumed direct service.

El Al had announced a special series of rescue flights to bring Israelis back from Dubai, offering tickets at a fixed price of $249 for a basic fare. However, the airline later officially canceled these flights due to the ongoing lack of final approval from the UAE. The situation remained uncertain for hours, with approvals being granted and then revoked, causing significant disruption to rescue efforts.