Arkia and Israir have announced that they have secured the necessary approvals to operate rescue flights from the UAE, after El Al was forced to cancel its Friday repatriation flights when its landing permit was revoked, according to Times of Israel.
Arkia and Israir have confirmed that they have secured the necessary approvals from the United Arab Emirates to operate rescue flights from Dubai, according to a Times of Israel report on Friday at 11:14 Jerusalem time. The development comes after El Al was forced to cancel its Friday repatriation flights when its landing permit was revoked.
The crisis unfolded over the past day. On Thursday evening, Emirati authorities initially tightened conditions for Israeli rescue flights, and by 22:12 Jerusalem time they had revoked landing permits at the last minute, with talks extending through the night. By Friday morning, El Al had begun canceling flights, and by 07:09 the airline confirmed the cancellations. The Zioneer reported at 09:22 that El Al had canceled two repatriation flights. At 09:51, Israir said it had received approvals from Dubai airport but had not yet opened tickets for sale. The current update adds Arkia to the list of airlines with confirmed approvals and indicates that Israir's flights are proceeding.
The rescue efforts are aimed at bringing home an estimated 10,000 Israelis stranded in the UAE and other destinations following the attempted hijacking of Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, as The Zioneer reported.
It remains unclear whether the approvals will hold, as Emirati authorities have reversed their position multiple times since Thursday. El Al's flights remain canceled. Further details on flight schedules and capacity have not yet been announced.
11 developments
- StrongIsrair receives Dubai airport approvals for rescue flights, preparing additional flight after holiday
- StrongUAE cancels planned flights to Israel amid anger over Shin Bet security check demands — reports
- DevelopingIsrair receives Israeli CAA approval for US flights, plans FAA request for New York in August
- StrongEmirates clarifies: Tel Aviv-bound passengers can land in Dubai after rescue flights approved
Source and signal
- Open-source intake