El Al Cancels Initial Dubai Flights Amid Landing Permit Issues

El Al announced Friday morning the cancellation of its first repatriation flights to Dubai due to the withdrawal of landing permits previously granted to Israeli airlines, according to The Jerusalem Post. The airline stated it would proceed with the planned flights once official authorizations are secured, aiming to bring back travelers whose return journeys have been disrupted. However, the situation evolved for Israir, which later announced on Friday that it had received final approvals from Emirati authorities. Israir plans to operate flights from Israel to Dubai on Friday. As of the time of reporting, El Al had not made a similar announcement. The Israeli Ministry of Transport had indicated that flights between Dubai and Israel by Israeli carriers were scheduled to commence on Friday, October 2, following coordination among stakeholders. The ministry cautioned that delays were possible as security services finalized necessary preparations and coordination for operations. It advised Israelis in Dubai to stay in contact with their booking airlines for instructions and updates. The Jerusalem Post estimates that over 10,000 Israelis are stranded in Dubai or other transit points from which they were scheduled to return to Israel via the UAE. These disruptions follow an incident on Wednesday aboard a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia after an assault in the cockpit where the captain was reportedly stabbed by his co-pilot.