Israir Halts Morocco Flights After Security Concerns Following Flydubai Incident
Translated & summarized from Vesty by baba
Israeli airline Israir has suspended ticket sales and expansion plans for its Marrakech route due to new security directives following an attempted attack on a Flydubai flight. The airline is awaiting final instructions from security authorities. Separately, an Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane was denied entry to Israel because a crew member was an Indonesian national, a country with which Israel has no diplomatic ties.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israir suspended ticket sales and expansion plans for its Marrakech route following new security directives.
- The security directives were issued after an attempted attack on a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv.
- Israir was planning to increase flights to Marrakech from one to three per week.
- An Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane was denied entry to Israel due to an Indonesian crew member.
- Israel is considering stricter security checks for foreign airline crews.
Israeli airline Israir has suspended plans to expand its service to Marrakech, Morocco, citing new security directives received after an attempted attack on a Flydubai flight. The company announced on Tuesday, October 13, that it was halting its intention to increase weekly flights from one to three.
Israir had been in negotiations to lease an additional aircraft but has paused those discussions. The airline has also stopped selling tickets for all its Marrakech flights until final security instructions are issued. This decision comes less than three weeks after Israir announced an expansion of its Marrakech service, which had resumed in early September after a long hiatus with one weekly flight.
The move follows an incident on September 30 where a Flydubai co-pilot allegedly attempted to crash the plane en route to Tel Aviv. This event raised significant questions about security protocols and crew vetting for foreign airlines flying to Israel. Israeli authorities are reportedly considering stricter security measures, including enhanced checks for crews from countries with which Israel lacks diplomatic ties.
Israir has not specified the exact nature of the new security directives or whether they relate to the planned use of an additional aircraft. The airline also did not clarify how the sales halt would affect passengers who have already purchased tickets, nor did it mention any cancellations of existing flights. The company stated it is awaiting final directives from security bodies and will act in accordance with their instructions, prioritizing passenger and crew safety.
In a related incident on October 13, an Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane flying to Israel from Addis Ababa was denied entry into Israeli airspace. The aircraft was turned back because one of its crew members was an Indonesian national, and Israel does not have diplomatic relations with Indonesia. The crew list was submitted to Israel only after the flight departed, revealing the "undesirable" pilot. The Indonesian pilot was replaced with an approved one in Ethiopia, and the plane was expected to depart again after the crew change.
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