The attempted attack aboard a flydubai flight bound for Israel continues to disrupt Israeli airlines, with Arkia announcing Wednesday that it is suspending ticket sales for flights to Marrakech, Morocco, until further notice following instructions from Israeli security authorities. The airline is also reviewing whether it can continue operating the route, eight days after Israir announced a similar suspension of ticket sales.
Arkia resumed direct flights to Marrakech in August, but the future of the service is now uncertain. The airline stressed that it has not canceled flights for which tickets have already been sold. For now, the decision applies only to new bookings, although passengers with existing reservations have not been told whether their flights will operate as scheduled.
Arkia airliner
(Photo: Ronen Fefer / Shutterstock)
The uncertainty leaves travelers who have already purchased tickets with few answers. Arkia has yet to announce whether refunds or changes of destination will be offered if flights are eventually canceled. The airline said it remains in contact with the relevant authorities and security officials to determine whether the route can continue operating and what the latest restrictions mean for existing reservations.
One possibility under consideration is operating Marrakech flights through Arkia's commercial partners if Israeli authorities decide to prohibit Israeli carriers from serving the destination directly. However, the company has not identified the potential partners, explained how such an arrangement would work or indicated whether it would receive the necessary security approvals.
The decision comes eight days after Israir froze plans to expand its Marrakech service. Israir resumed direct flights to the Moroccan city in early September with one weekly departure and had planned to increase that to three flights a week beginning in November. Following the new security instructions, the airline suspended its expansion plans, halted negotiations to lease an additional aircraft and stopped selling tickets to Marrakech pending final guidance from Israeli authorities.
The restrictions follow the September 30 incident aboard a flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Israel, during which the co-pilot attacked the captain and allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft. Passengers and crew intervened, and the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The incident raised serious questions about aviation security procedures and background checks for flight crews, particularly those employed by foreign airlines.
In response, Israeli security authorities began reviewing and tightening procedures governing flights to and from Israel. Those changes have created new operational challenges for Israeli carriers serving destinations such as Morocco, where maintaining services may depend on arrangements that comply with the revised security requirements.
With both Arkia and Israir now suspending ticket sales to Marrakech, the immediate future of direct flights between Israel and the Moroccan city remains uncertain. Arkia said it would update passengers as further instructions and decisions are received. Until then, travelers who have already booked flights must wait to learn whether their journeys will proceed as planned.