Hundreds of Israelis were stranded in Dubai on Thursday with no direct way home after Flydubai suspended flights to Tel Aviv for six days following an attempted hijacking aboard one of its Israel-bound flights a day earlier.
The precise number of stranded travelers was not immediately known. Flydubai normally operates about 10 flights a day to Israel, raising concerns that the number could grow if the suspension continues.
The disruption has particularly affected Israelis returning from destinations in Asia who use Dubai as a major transit hub. Many arrived in the United Arab Emirates after long-haul flights only to discover that their connecting flights to Tel Aviv had been canceled.
Representatives of the Shin Bet domestic security agency were expected to arrive in Dubai on Thursday to make security preparations that would allow Israeli airlines to operate flights from the emirate. The first such flights were expected as early as Friday, according to current estimates.
Israeli airlines told ynet they were prepared to begin flying to Dubai as soon as the necessary approvals were received.
Etihad Airways, which currently operates two daily flights to Israel, is planning to increase service. Emirates, which does not currently fly to Israel, is also examining the possibility of resuming its route.
For El Al, Israel’s flag carrier, any operation Friday would be limited by the start of the Jewish Sabbath, during which the airline does not fly. It could resume service after the Sabbath ends Saturday night. The relatively short flight between Dubai and Israel, however, would allow airlines to operate multiple rotations quickly.
Etihad Airways airliner
(Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis / Shutterstock)
The disruption followed Wednesday’s attempted hijacking aboard a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia. Flydubai subsequently suspended its Israel service for six days.
Among those caught in the disruption were Yael Tzoref and her son, who landed in Dubai early Thursday after hours of travel from Vietnam and learned that their connecting flight to Tel Aviv had been canceled.
Yael’s husband, Chen Tzoref, who is in Israel, said he had been trying unsuccessfully to find another way to bring them home.
“My wife Yael and my son landed in Dubai after hours of flying from Vietnam, and then discovered that all the Flydubai flights had been canceled,” he told ynet. “Right now, they have no way to fly to Israel with an Israeli airline, so they are stuck there along with quite a few other Israelis who arrived with them from Vietnam and other destinations in the East.”
Tzoref said Emirati authorities and airline officials were trying to help stranded passengers by offering alternative flights through Amman, Larnaca or Athens. Travelers, however, would have to arrange their own onward transportation to Israel.
“We tried that option, but because it’s the end of the Sukkot holiday, the flights are full of Israelis returning home, and we couldn’t find an available seat,” he said.
Yael and her son instead opted to stay at a hotel near Dubai International Airport, where they were being provided with three meals a day.
“The Emiratis are really trying to help,” her husband said, adding that the family understood there were still no Israeli airline flights operating from Dubai.
Yael said other Israelis arriving from Vietnam and elsewhere were facing the same predicament, while some had decided to leave the UAE by any available route.
“Some people chose to get out of here at any cost — they flew to Amman and from there plan to take a taxi to Israel,” she told ynet.
She said passengers also faced uncertainty over who would ultimately pay for replacement tickets and other expenses resulting from the disruption.
“It’s not clear to us who is supposed to pay for all these expenses — buying new plane tickets and everything that comes with it,” she said. “Is it at our expense, or is someone supposed to take responsibility because of what happened?”
Speaking from a bus taking her and her son to their hotel, she added: “I have no idea how long they’ll give us a hotel or when we’ll get out of here. All I want is to get home with my child.”
Other stranded Israelis chose not to wait for direct service to resume.
Alicia, who arrived in Dubai from Sri Lanka, told ynet she had accepted an offer to fly to Athens on Friday morning and would then have to arrange her own flight to Israel.
“The flights are full because it’s the end of the Sukkot holiday,” she said. “I just hope I don’t get stuck in Athens for too long.”
Itamar Eichner contributed to this report.