Israel-Dubai Flight disruption expected due to aviation security dispute

The aviation security dispute between Dubai and Israel has permeated the flight network between the two destinations. On Thursday, Israel’s El Al Airlines announced an imminent reduction in its flight schedule to Dubai starting Sunday. While negotiations are underway between Israeli authorities and Dubai International Airport, they’re not enough to maintain the current network of flights.

Tel Aviv is connected with Dubai by three Israeli airlines – El Al, Israir, and Arkia – and Dubai’s LCC flydubai. These direct flights were a result of a significant 2020 deal to normalize ties between the two states. So far, only El Al has announced disruption to its flights, but there’s a legitimate fear that it could spill over to other carriers.

The disagreement over security issues at Dubai International Airport had prompted Israel to warn of a possible halting of flights to Dubai. On Thursday, the country’s flag carrier El Al announced that it would be unable to maintain a full flight schedule to Dubai from Sunday, as reported by Reuters.

Israel’s Shin Bet security service, which manages the country’s airlines, is unhappy with the security standards at Dubai airport, prompting the Israeli government to intervene. The initial deadline of February 8th, which could have halted Israeli airlines’ flights to Dubai completely, was extended by the country’s Transport Minister Merav Michaeli.

Israel has warned that the matter could take on a different hue and snowball into a larger Gulf state crisis if the security-related disagreements remain unresolved.

The announcement is bad news for thousands of passengers booked on the affected El Al flights, with the carrier stating that it will not be able to fly them after flight frequency is reduced from Sunday. Reuters.com and