Israeli airlines El Al, Arkia, and Israir are set to commence repatriation flights from Dubai on Friday to assist Israelis stranded in the United Arab Emirates. This move follows the suspension of Flydubai’s services to Israel after an incident involving a Flydubai flight in which the copilot allegedly attacked the pilot, forcing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. UAE authorities are currently investigating the matter.
The Israeli airlines will be flying empty planes from Tel Aviv to Dubai to retrieve passengers who were originally scheduled to return via Flydubai or Emirates connections. The Israeli government will cover the costs of these outbound flights, ensuring that the airlines are not financially burdened by these empty legs.
El Al has planned two flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Friday, with Arkia organizing one flight and Israir preparing additional services. Ticket prices for these flights are set at $249 for El Al, $279 for Arkia, and $299 for Israir, with the airlines instructed to keep the prices reasonable to facilitate the return of Israeli citizens.
In addition, Israel’s Transportation Ministry has requested extra flights from Etihad Airways between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv to further assist passengers in returning home. For those unable to return directly through Dubai, alternative routes are being offered, including travel through European cities and nearby hubs such as Athens and Larnaca. Passengers may need to arrange some parts of their journey back to Israel independently.