El Al cancels evacuation flight from United Arab Emirates without landing permission

El Al said it was forced to cancel evacuation flights because the United Arab Emirates had not approved landing permission for two special flights. Pictured is an Israeli Airlines plane.

Dubai Airline flight number FZ1073 was attacked on its way from Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv, Israel. Several passengers worked together to subdue the co-pilot who attacked the captain with a knife, and the plane successfully landed in Saudi Arabia. After the incident, Dubai Air suspended flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel, leaving some Israelis stranded in Dubai. El Al was originally scheduled to take them back home on a special flight on the 2nd, but was later forced to cancel it.

According to a report by Agence France-Presse, El Al said it was forced to cancel evacuation flights because the United Arab Emirates had not approved landing permission for two special flights. El Al stated that it will bring Israelis back to the country as soon as possible once approval is obtained from the authorities.

A spokesman for El Al confirmed that two flights originally scheduled to fly on the 2nd have been cancelled, and a new date has not yet been determined.

The Israeli Ministry of Transport also claimed that Israel was unable to prepare the special flight due to the necessary preparations and coordination that needed to be completed with the authorities of the United Arab Emirates.