Flydubai suspends Israel flights after attack forces Saudi landing

Flydubai suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv after Wednesday’s cockpit attack, temporarily halting an air link that has become a mainstay of business and travel between Israel and the UAE.

The Dubai-Tel Aviv flight was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after its Omani co-pilot was reported to have stabbed the captain and tried to crash the aircraft. Passengers and crew subdued him, allowing other pilots aboard to land safely. Passengers later reached Ben Gurion International Airport on a replacement flydubai aircraft.

Flydubai runs 30 weekly flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, and carried more than 800,000 passengers on the route last year, up 45% from 2024. Since the 2020 Abraham Accords, it has provided Israeli executives and tourists with access to the UAE and connections to other parts of the Gulf and around the world.

“Its importance extends beyond tourism and business,” Yoel Guzansky, a senior researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, told The Circuit. “Flydubai is a key element supporting the UAE-Israel relationship.”

Flydubai became one of the few international carriers to maintain regular service to Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack and ensuing war in Gaza, while many competitors repeatedly suspended flights. 

Mohammed Baharoon, Director-General of B’huth, a Dubai public policy research center, said the airline’s persistence when other carriers suspended Israel service reflects its “strategic commitment” to play a significant role in moving people, goods, money and data around the world.

“Creating these links and maintaining them at the hardest of times is an investment the UAE has made in maintaining the fluidity of the world economy and also its stability,” Baharoon told The Circuit.

The UAE Foreign Ministry said Thursday that prosecutors would investigate “any possible connection to terrorist activity or intent,” including whether the attack involved prior planning or direction. Attorney General Hamad Al Shamsi ordered the inquiry, which the ministry said falls under UAE jurisdiction because the aircraft is registered in the country.

The UAE ministry expressed appreciation to Saudi authorities for their cooperation and urged against circulating “speculation or unverified information” before investigators announce their findings.

Flydubai said it is “fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and maintaining the highest safety standards across our network,” according to a statement. It will review the suspension as more information becomes available and help passengers with bookings on the airline make arrangements with other carriers where possible.

The Dubai airline has played an “extraordinary role in bringing together Emiratis and Israelis,” David Sprecher, an Israeli lawyer specializing in the aviation industry, told The Circuit. “They are transferring a lot, a lot, a lot of businessmen in both directions.”

Founded by Dubai’s government to offer affordable travel and connect underserved markets, flydubai began operating in June 2009. It now serves 140 destinations in 58 countries across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia. Flydubai carried 15.7 million passengers worldwide in 2025. Revenue rose 6% to $3.7 billion, while pretax profit fell to $591 million from $674 million a year earlier.