A replacement Flydubai plane lands at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, carrying passengers from flight FZ1073, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia after transmitting an emergency code while flying through Jordanian airspace, on September 30, 2026. [Nir Keidar – Anadolu Agency]
An official Israeli delegation is expected to visit the United Arab Emirates on Sunday in an attempt to restore flydubai flights to Tel Aviv, Israel’s Channel 12 reported Friday.
The broadcaster said the delegation will seek to persuade Emirati officials to allow the airline’s flights to Tel Aviv to resume.
According to Channel 12, flydubai’s suspension of flights to Tel Aviv remains in effect until Dec. 15.
In late October, Channel 12 said flydubai had extended the suspension of its flights to and from Tel Aviv until Nov. 30, although the airline had not issued an announcement on the matter.
READ: Flydubai extends suspension of Tel Aviv flights until Nov. 30: Israeli media
On Sept. 30, the airline temporarily suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv following an incident involving a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight carrying 174 Israelis, during which an attempt was made to take control of the aircraft before passengers and crew members managed to thwart it.
The aircraft made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia after being diverted, while authorities opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident and the motives of the person involved.
On Oct. 9, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said investigations showed that the assistant pilot, an Omani national, had attempted to seize control of the aircraft to carry out a “suicide operation targeting Ben Gurion Airport.”
The incident prompted criticism and questions in Israel over security procedures related to flights bound for the country, amid calls for an investigation into shortcomings that allowed it to occur.
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