Israel's airline El Al cancels Dubai evacuation flights after UAE withdraws landing permits

Israeli flag carrier El Al announced Friday that it had canceled flights scheduled to bring Israelis home from Dubai after the United Arab Emirates withdrew landing permits for Israeli carriers.

“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 … for tomorrow, Friday, October 2,” the airline said on Facebook.

El Al said it remains fully prepared to operate charter flights to Dubai to bring Israeli citizens home as soon as official approval is received.

The airline added that flights set for next Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday remain on its timetable, but are fully booked.

El Al did not explain why the landing permits had been withdrawn, and there was no immediate official clarification from Emirati authorities.

Israel’s Channel 7 reported that the announcement followed a last-minute UAE decision to withdraw landing permits for the evacuation flights.

Israeli carriers had been preparing special flights to repatriate stranded Israelis after flydubai suspended services following an incident Wednesday aboard a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

Israeli authorities said that during the incident, the flydubai co-pilot stabbed the plane’s captain and tried to crash the aircraft before passengers and crew managed to restrain him.

The plane made an emergency landing in the Saudi city of Tabuk.

Emirati authorities ordered an investigation to establish the circumstances and motives behind the incident. Flydubai urged against speculation.

Air travel between Israel and the UAE has been disrupted in recent months by Israeli attacks on Iran.

Israel and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 2020 under a US-brokered normalization agreement.