Israeli airline El Al says will run flights to return Israelis from Dubai

JERUSALEM: Israeli airline El Al on Thursday (Oct 1) said it would operate special flights to repatriate Israelis in Dubai after UAE airline flydubai suspended its flights to and from Israel a day earlier.

"Starting tomorrow (Friday): El Al will operate special rescue flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv," the company said in a statement.

"The first flight will depart from Tel Aviv in the morning and leave Dubai for Tel Aviv at 11:00, LY974. An additional flight, LY972, will depart Dubai at 13:00," it added.

A spokesperson for the airline told AFP there would be an update once permission was granted for additional flights.

Flydubai announced it was suspending flights to and from Israel on Wednesday, pending an investigation into an altercation on a Tel Aviv-bound flight which was forced to divert. 

The dramatic events on Wednesday saw passengers reroute the flydubai plane to stop it from crashing, making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia before the flight's mostly Israeli passengers were flown home to a hero's welcome.

Passengers described rushing the cockpit and a fight for control after the plane suddenly plummeted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the co-pilot behind the apparent attack had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination" as the UAE said it was probing a possible terror link.

In its statement on Thursday, El Al said its special tickets would be sold at a uniform price of US$249, and that passengers would only be allowed to travel with hand luggage.

The airline suspended its flights between Israel and Dubai at the start of the war in the Middle East at the end of February, but announced on Wednesday that it planned to resume them from November.

As the Jewish holiday of Sukkot draws to a close, many Israelis who travelled abroad are expected to want to return to the country in the coming days.