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Israel's flag carrier El Al canceled two special repatriation flights from Dubai on Friday after Emirati authorities did not grant landing permission, the airline said.
The flights had been planned to bring Israelis home after flydubai suspended service to Tel Aviv following an in-flight attack earlier this week.
“As soon as approval is received from the authorities, we are prepared to carry out the special flights to Dubai and return the Israelis home as soon as possible,” El Al said in an online notice.
An El Al spokeswoman confirmed that the two Friday flights had been canceled, with no new date set.
Israel's Transportation Ministry said the flights could not proceed because additional preparations and coordination with security authorities in the United Arab Emirates were required.
El Al flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv remain scheduled to resume Sunday, although the airline has informed passengers that all seats are booked into the coming week.
Tickets for the one-way repatriation flights were being sold for $249 each.
The disruption comes during a busy travel period for Israelis because of the Sukkot holiday.
Dubai has become one of the leading destinations for Israeli travelers since the United Arab Emirates normalized relations with Israel in 2020 and the two countries began developing closer economic ties.
The repatriation flights were planned after flydubai suspended service to Tel Aviv following an incident Wednesday on a flight from Dubai.
According to Israeli authorities, a co-pilot attacked the pilot and attempted to crash the aircraft.
Israeli passengers said they overpowered the alleged assailant, while other pilots on board took control of the aircraft and diverted it to Saudi Arabia.
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