Israeli airlines El Al, Arkia, and Israir are set to launch repatriation flights from Dubai, starting Friday, to bring back Israelis who are stranded in the United Arab Emirates. This development follows the suspension of flydubai’s services to Israel after a serious incident involving a flydubai flight. The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv had to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia due to an alleged attack by the copilot on the pilot. The UAE authorities are currently investigating this incident.
The repatriation flights will operate from Tel Aviv to Dubai without passengers and will return with Israelis who were supposed to travel back via flydubai or Emirates connections. The Israeli government has agreed to compensate the airlines for the outbound flights that will be operated without passengers.
El Al is scheduled to run two flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Friday, while Arkia will operate one flight. Israir is also preparing to offer additional services. The cost for a one-way ticket has been set at $249 for El Al, $279 for Arkia, and $299 for Israir. The airlines have been instructed to keep pricing reasonable to accommodate the situation.
In addition to the flights by Israeli carriers, Israel’s Transportation Ministry has requested additional flights from Etihad Airways, which operates between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv, to assist in bringing stranded passengers back to Israel.
For those unable to return via Dubai, alternative routes have been arranged through European destinations and nearby hubs such as Athens and Larnaca. However, some travelers may need to organize onward flights to Israel on their own to complete their journey.