Israeli Cargo Plane Flies to Dubai for Stranded Passengers' Luggage

An Israeli cargo airline, Challenge Airlines, has dispatched a Boeing 747 aircraft to Dubai to retrieve the luggage of Israeli citizens who were stranded there. The luggage was left behind due to strict security protocols for rescue flights, which permit passengers to carry only small personal bags, with heavier baggage transported separately. This resulted in thousands of Israelis returning home with virtually no belongings after the suspension of Flydubai flights.

The cargo plane will ferry the passengers' unaccompanied baggage from Dubai back to Israel. It is scheduled to make multiple trips, or "rounds," to Dubai until all stranded passengers' luggage has been collected and returned. This initiative follows a similar cargo flight operated by Israir the previous evening, which brought back approximately 180 passengers.

Muli Ravina, Chairman of Challenge Airlines, stated that the company operated in coordination with the Ministry of Defense's procurement director, Shmuel Zakai, the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority, and Sharon Kadmi, CEO of the Israel Airports Authority. Ravina added that the company established a situation room and secured a dedicated aircraft for the mission. He emphasized that arranging the cargo plane, as required by the UAE authorities, enabled the return of Israelis. Challenge Airlines affirmed its commitment to serving the state in both routine and emergency situations.