Watch: Emotional pilot recounts moment of Flydubai attack
He has been hailed a hero for opening the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower his co-pilot.
Jerusalem, October 2 — Israeli airline El Al announced the cancellation of two repatriation flights from Dubai due to the suspension of flydubai service to Tel Aviv following an in-flight attack. The two flights, initially scheduled for today, were cancelled by El Al without a new date set. Authorities from the United Arab Emirates did not grant landing clearance for the special flights, as confirmed by an El Al spokeswoman.
El Al flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv are still operational, commencing on Sunday, with passengers informed that all seats are reserved for the following week. The transportation ministry explained that the cancellation was necessary to complete the required preparations and coordination with security authorities in the UAE. El Al is offering one-way tickets for the repatriation flights at a price of $249 each.
The flights occur during a peak travel season for Israelis, as they celebrate the holiday of Sukkot. Dubai has emerged as a popular destination for Israelis since the UAE normalized relations with Israel in 2020, establishing strong economic ties. Many Muslim-majority countries prohibit entry to Israelis. In a separate incident, a co-pilot attacked the pilot of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, attempting to crash the plane.
However, Israeli passengers managed to overpower the assailant, and other pilots on board took control, diverting the aircraft to Saudi Arabia, according to Israeli authorities.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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