Israeli airlines move to resume UAE flights after flydubai cockpit attack

Update, 1 October, 03:07 Israel time

Two Israeli airlines say they are preparing to restart flights to the Emirates following the flydubai incident. These would be the first concrete plans to act on the temporary Shin Bet approval for Israeli carriers.

• The Times of Israel reported that Arkia is getting ready to resume its Tel Aviv to Dubai service, beginning with two direct flights a day once operational and logistical conditions allow. Arkia said the restart still depends on securing every required approval from state and security authorities.
• Political commentator Amit Segal reported that El Al is also renewing its flights to the Emirates, with two flights a day, and linked the move directly to the attack.

Neither report gives a start date. Segal's post does not say whether El Al's plan is subject to further approvals, as Arkia's is.

Israel Hayom reported that the flydubai aircraft was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The paper said a relief flight crew happened to be on board, which helped save the passengers. It added that piecing together a full account of the incident will take several more days of investigation.

Update, 1 October, 00:07 Israel time

flydubai has confirmed that its flights to Israel are temporarily suspended, The Times of Israel reported, as investigations into the incident got underway.

The same report gave the first detailed account of the flight itself. According to The Times of Israel:

• The aircraft was flight FZ1073, bound for Tel Aviv, and the incident took place on Wednesday morning.
• The copilot, identified as an Omani national, stabbed the pilot, who was seriously injured.
• The jet dropped nearly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds before passengers overpowered the copilot and tied him up.
• Two pilots who were travelling off duty took over the cockpit and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

The Times of Israel said open questions include how the copilot was cleared to fly the aircraft and how he obtained a weapon. Its account describes the attacker as the copilot, matching its earlier reporting; Ynet had described him as the pilot.

The Times of Israel placed Netanyahu's call with bin Zayed on Wednesday evening and named Sa'ar's Emirati counterpart as Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed. The Jerusalem Post also reported that the two leaders discussed flight security, without further detail in the material available.

The story as first reported

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed, about the security of aircraft following an incident on a flydubai flight earlier in the day. Ynet reported that Netanyahu told one of the passengers who subdued the crew member involved that he had been in touch with the Emirati leader, and quoted the prime minister as saying: "We said we would put the whole matter of security in order."

Israeli outlets also reported that Netanyahu was expected to speak soon with US President Donald Trump. The Times of Israel, citing an Israeli official speaking to Channel 12, said that call was due within the hour. N12, the news arm of Channel 12, described the conversation with bin Zayed as concerning the security of planes, and News.co.il likewise reported both the Emirati call and the expected call with Trump.

What is known about the flight

The reports describe the incident in different terms. The Times of Israel said the copilot of the flydubai plane had allegedly tried to take control of it and bring it down. Ynet described the person as the pilot and called the episode an attempted terror attack, saying passengers on board neutralised him. The Times of Israel liveblog separately referred to an Israeli passenger who stopped the plane from nosediving and who credited a television programme, Air Disasters, with teaching him how to respond. The reports available here do not reconcile the pilot and copilot descriptions, and this article does not attempt to.

flydubai is an airline based in Dubai, one of the emirates that make up the UAE. Mohammed bin Zayed, often referred to by his initials MBZ, is the country's president.

Immediate steps on flights to the Emirates

According to Ynet, the transport minister, Regev, is demanding that flydubai flights be halted until the investigation into what the report characterises as a failure on the flight is complete. At the same time, Ynet reported, the Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security service, gave Israeli airlines temporary approval to fly to the UAE. Ynet framed this as a provisional arrangement under which the Israeli carriers will operate flights to the Emirates for now.

The reports do not explain the relationship between these two moves, for example whether Israeli airlines are meant to replace flydubai services on the same routes, or how long the temporary approval is intended to last.

Diplomatic contacts around the incident

The prime minister's call was one of several high-level contacts reported during the day. The Times of Israel liveblog listed an entry saying Foreign Minister Sa'ar had spoken with his Emirati counterpart, and that the two agreed to work together against what the entry called "extremist elements". Another entry in the same liveblog reported Huckabee saying that, with the hijacking foiled, the United States took greater pride in describing Israel as a "true partner".

Taken together, the reports show Israel engaging both the UAE and Washington within hours of the incident. What Netanyahu and bin Zayed specifically agreed beyond the general commitment to address security has not been described in any of the reports.

How the reports compare

Five organisations reported the call with bin Zayed: Ynet, political commentator Amit Segal, News.co.il, N12 and The Times of Israel. Amit Segal quoted Netanyahu in terms matching Ynet's version of the remark about putting security in order. The Times of Israel attributed its account of the call to Hebrew media and its account of the planned Trump call to an Israeli official. The details about Regev's demand and the Shin Bet approval come from Ynet alone among these reports.

What the reports do not say

• Whether the person at the controls was the pilot or the copilot, and what his identity or motive was.
• How many people were on the flight, where it was flying from or to, and whether anyone was hurt.
• What concrete security measures, if any, Israel and the UAE agreed on.
• Whether the call with Trump took place and what was discussed.
• Whether flydubai flights to Israel have actually been suspended, and how long the temporary approval for Israeli airlines will remain in force.
• Who is conducting the investigation Regev referred to.