Arkia Plane Departs for Dubai Amid New UAE Demand for Cargo Flight
Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- UAE demanded a simultaneous cargo flight for Israeli rescue operations.
- Passengers will only be allowed hand luggage; checked bags sent separately.
- The new demand requires airlines to use two planes per rescue flight.
- Arkia's first rescue flight departed before the new demand was fully resolved.
- Flydubai extended its flight suspension to Israel until October 15.
A flight operated by Arkia Airlines departed for Dubai to conduct the first rescue operation for Israelis stranded in the United Arab Emirates. However, while the plane was en route, the UAE imposed a new demand: a cargo flight must depart simultaneously with the passenger flight.
Over the past 24 hours, Israel and the UAE engaged in intense discussions regarding security issues and baggage handling. The parties had initially agreed that passengers would only be allowed hand luggage, with checked baggage to be sent separately to Israel. Israeli airlines accepted these terms, despite the additional costs.
The UAE's latest requirement necessitates each airline to allocate two planes concurrently for every rescue flight, a difficult condition to meet on short notice. Currently, only one Arkia plane has departed for Dubai, and Israeli officials hope to resolve the issue before its arrival.
This development follows overnight negotiations that concluded with understandings between the sides, granting Israeli companies permission to land in Dubai. The agreed plan involved initial flights from Israel to Dubai without passengers, with luggage to be transported on separate cargo flights. Arkia was scheduled to operate one flight on the day of the report, another the following day, and three more were in the process of being finalized. El Al was not expected to operate rescue flights that day, planning to resume operations after the holiday, while Israir had not yet published its schedule but was preparing for a flight after the holiday.
In related news, Flydubai announced an extension of its flight suspension to Israel until October 15, having initially halted operations for only six days.
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