Tel Aviv-Dubai flight restrictions lifted after security agreement

Shin Bet: Understandings have been reached and joint work principles and security arrangements agreed that will allow Israeli airline companies to return to fly to Dubai on a regular basis.

Flight restrictions on the Tel Aviv - Dubai route have been lifted after the dispute over security arrangements has been settled.

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said on Friday, "As part of efforts to reach a solution to the dispute around the issue of Israeli airline security in Dubai, there was a round of meetings yesterday between the head of the Shin Bet security department with his UAE counterpart following the meeting last week between Shin Bet head Ronen Bar and his UAE counterpart.

"As a result of these meetings, understandings were reached and joint work principles and security arrangements agreed that will allow Israeli airline companies to return to fly to Dubai on a regular and ongoing basis."

Under the Abraham Accords signed in 2020 between Israel and the UAE, provisions were made for up to 42 flights a week between Tel Aviv and Dubai and Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi. In practice there have been more with El Al, Israir and Arkia operating three to four daily flights between Tel Aviv and Dubai and Emirates low-cost unit flyDubai operating four daily flights.

But no agreement had been reached on security arrangements at Dubai airport, with the UAE recently imposing a limit of one flight a day for each Israeli airline and Israel imposing a counter limit of three flights a day for UAE airlines. These restrictions pushed up fares to $600-650 return. Arkia was threatening to divert flights to Abu Dhabi and take passengers by shuttle buses to Dubai.