Flydubai suspended flights to and from Israel on Wednesday, September 30, pending an investigation into the incident involving flight FZ1073. The flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia that morning while en route to Tel Aviv following an altercation in the cockpit. Emirates also suspended its codeshare flights with flydubai to Tel Aviv until further notice, while Israel announced that flydubai would be barred from operating flights to the country for six days from Thursday morning, October 1.

Flydubai said the decision was taken in coordination with the relevant authorities. The airline said the suspension would allow officials to continue their work and establish all the facts surrounding the incident. Flydubai said it was coordinating closely with government bodies, aviation regulators and airports. The airline did not provide a timeline for resuming flights and said it would review its decision as more information became available.

Emirates said the suspension of codeshare flights to and from Tel Aviv took effect immediately. Passengers whose final destination is Tel Aviv will not be accepted for travel at their point of origin. The airline said passengers who have already begun their journeys and are en route to Tel Aviv will receive all possible assistance to complete their travel. Those affected may contact their travel agent or the Emirates contact centre. The latest updates will also be published on the airline’s website. Emirates has not operated its own aircraft to Tel Aviv since October 2023, instead carrying passengers to the city on flydubai flights.

Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev announced the six-day suspension of flydubai flights. Before the decision, the airline operated up to 10 flights a day to Israel. Regev said Israeli airlines would operate special repatriation flights under heightened security measures to bring Israelis home from the UAE during the suspension. The airlines have not flown to the UAE for nearly eight months, since the start of the war with Iran, following instructions from Israeli security agencies. The Yedioth Ahronoth news website reported that the suspension could be extended depending on the outcome of the investigation.

Israel’s Transport Ministry said the decision was confirmed during a phone call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. According to the ministry, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed ordered that Israeli airlines be allocated landing slots at UAE airports.

Regev had earlier called for flydubai flights to be suspended until the circumstances surrounding the incident were fully established. She said flydubai had breached the 2020 aviation agreement between Israel and the UAE. According to Regev, the agreement allows only pilots from countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel to land there. Israeli officials identified the co-pilot who allegedly attacked the pilot as an Omani national. Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.