Israel's national airline El Al cancels flights to bring stranded Israelis home from Dubai

Israel's flag carrier El Al said it was forced to cancel repatriation flights from Dubai on Friday after flydubai suspended service to Tel Aviv following an in-flight attack.

Emirati authorities had not given landing permission for the two special flights.

Why did El Al cancel the Dubai repatriation flights?

El Al cancelled the two special flights because Emirati authorities had not granted landing permission. The flights were announced late Thursday to bring stranded Israelis home.

The transportation ministry said Israel could not proceed without completing preparations and coordination with security authorities in the United Arab Emirates.

When will El Al fly stranded Israelis home from Dubai?

No new date has been set, an El Al spokeswoman confirmed to AFP. "As soon as approval is received from the authorities, we are prepared to carry out the special flights to Dubai and return the Israelis home as soon as possible," El Al said in an online notice.

El Al flights are still scheduled from Dubai to Tel Aviv starting on Sunday. The airline has notified passengers that all seats are taken into the coming week.

How much do the El Al repatriation flights cost?

El Al is selling tickets on the one-way repatriation flights for $249 each.

The flights come during a heavy travel season for Israelis due to the holiday of Sukkot.

Why are so many Israelis in Dubai?

Dubai has become one of the top destinations for Israelis since the United Arab Emirates normalized relations with Israel in 2020 and began forging close economic ties.

Many Muslim-majority countries forbid entry to Israelis.

What happened on the flydubai flight?

A co-pilot on Wednesday attacked the pilot of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv and aimed to crash the plane, according to Israeli authorities.

Israeli passengers said they overpowered the assailant, and other pilots on the plane took over, diverting the aircraft to Saudi Arabia.