Thousands stranded in UAE as Israeli rescue flights cancelled over landing clearance

UAE pulls landing clearance, forcing Israeli airline to cancel Dubai rescue flights

Israel’s flagship airline El Al has cancelled planned repatriation flights from Dubai after the United Arab Emirates withdrew landing permissions for the services. The flights were intended to bring back Israeli citizens stranded in Dubai.In an advisory displayed on its digital platform, El Al said that “due to the cancellation of approval for Israeli companies to land in Dubai, as was reported by the authorities in Israel, we are forced to cancel, at this stage, our rescue flights (LY974-1, LY972) for tomorrow, Friday, October 2.”Overnight reports indicated that the UAE had revoked its clearance, although the Transportation Ministry initially said delays were expected but the flights would still operate, The Times of Israel reported.According to the announcement, scheduled services for the following week remain on the timetable, although all seats on those flights have already been booked.More than 10,000 Israelis are reportedly stranded in Dubai and other destinations after travel disruptions left them unable to return to Israel via the United Arab Emirates, as cited by the Jerusalem Post.The cancellation came after prolonged discussions between senior Israeli officials and Emirati authorities failed to secure final agreements and approvals for Israeli airlines to land in the UAE, as cited by the Times of Israel.

Authorities continued to release details of the September 30 security crisis involving a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The Omani co-pilot stabbed the commander in what appeared to be an attempt to bring down the aircraft, triggering a steep descent in which the plane lost around 16,000 feet in two minutes before a hijacking distress signal was transmitted.Despite suffering severe injuries, Captain Smit Machchhar resisted the attacker.

Flight crew members and passengers then entered the cockpit and helped restrain him, allowing the crew to regain control of the aircraft. The plane later made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke to CBS News, the flight was nearing Israeli airspace when the attack took place. Machchhar managed to fend off the co-pilot long enough to open the cockpit door, while two off-duty pilots onboard took control of the aircraft and landed it safely in Tabuk.The identity of the co-pilot has not been publicly disclosed. However, an Omani official told CBS News that the assailant was born in Oman and holds Omani citizenship, although Muscat has not formally confirmed this publicly.Speaking to Fox and Friends, Netanyahu said crew members used earphone cords and plastic cuffs to restrain the attacker. David Mencer, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister, separately told Fox News' daily news programme "The Story" that Netanyahu had received a detailed account from a passenger who entered the cockpit with flight attendants.“That pilot wasn't sitting in the pilot's chair,” Mencer said. “He was standing over the controls. He was using his feet to destroy the controls of the aircraft while he was attacking that Indian pilot.” Mencer added, “His objective was to bring down that airplane.”Netanyahu also told Fox News that “personal information” gathered during interrogations led Israeli authorities to conclude that the co-pilot “underwent Islamist radical indoctrination.” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had earlier described the incident as “an attempted jihadist terror attack” and called the co-pilot a “terrorist.”Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump suggested that the co-pilot could have links to Tehran, saying the assessment was “based on what I'm hearing.”