Flydubai extends suspension of Tel Aviv flights until Nov. 30: Israeli media

UAE carrier Flydubai has extended its suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv until Nov. 30, Israeli Channel 12 reported Friday, Anadolu reports.

The broadcaster did not specify the reason for the extension, and the airline had not issued an official announcement.

Flydubai initially suspended the service on Sept. 30 after an alleged attempt to take control of one of its aircraft traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 Israeli passengers aboard.

Passengers and crew members reportedly thwarted the attempt, and the plane was diverted to Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing.

Authorities subsequently launched an investigation into the incident.

On Oct. 9, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said investigators had determined that the flight’s assistant captain, an Omani national, attempted to seize control of the aircraft to carry out what he described as a “suicide operation targeting Ben Gurion Airport.”

The incident sparked criticism in Israel over aviation security procedures and prompted calls for an investigation into possible lapses involving flights bound for the country.