The aviation security dispute between Dubai and Israel has permeated the flight network between the two destinations. On Thursday, Israel's El Al Airlines announced an imminent reduction in its flight schedule to Dubai starting Sunday. While negotiations are underway between Israeli authorities and Dubai International Airport, they're not enough to maintain the current network of flights.

El Al flights to Dubai disrupted

The disagreement over security issues at Dubai International Airport had prompted Israel to warn of a possible halting of flights to Dubai. On Thursday, the country's flag carrier El Al announced that it would be unable to maintain a full flight schedule to Dubai from Sunday, as reported by Reuters.

Israel's Shin Bet security service, which manages the country's airlines, is unhappy with the security standards at Dubai airport, prompting the Israeli government to intervene. The initial deadline of February 8th, which could have halted Israeli airlines' flights to Dubai completely, was extended by the country's Transport Minister Merav Michaeli.

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El Al has said it will be unable to maintain a full flight schedule to Dubai from Sunday. Photo: Getty Images

While the extension was meant to keep the air link between Tel Aviv and Dubai alive, El Al's announcement of scaling back operations suggests the dispute is nowhere near being resolved. Israel has warned that the matter could take on a different hue and snowball into a larger Gulf state crisis if the security-related disagreements remain unresolved.

Passengers affected

The announcement is bad news for thousands of passengers booked on the affected El Al flights, with the carrier stating that it will not be able to fly them after flight frequency is reduced from Sunday.

Tel Aviv is connected with Dubai by three Israeli airlines – El Al, Israir, and Arkia – and Dubai's LCC flydubai. These direct flights were a result of a significant 2020 deal to normalize ties between the two states. So far, only El Al has announced disruption to its flights, but there's a legitimate fear that it could spill over to other carriers.

El Al, Israir, and Arkia are now asking the Israeli government to look into the matter. One of the suggestions made by them was to ask from Dubai authorities "an additional allocation of security tags, to an extent that will allow the Israeli companies to handle the entire planned flight schedule."

As pointed out by Reuters, the three Israeli airlines, which at times offer up to 10 flights to Dubai in a day, will be permitted just three flights daily. And even those will have to stop entirely by March 8th as directed by the Israeli security services. Should it ever come to that, Israel is most likely to enforce a reciprocal ban on Dubai-based airlines too.

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The dispute has left the fate of Israeli airlines' flights to Dubai uncertain. Photo: Getty Images

Shaky negotiations

The exact point of contention between Israel's Shin Bet security service and Dubai airport is not known. The security arrangement for Israeli carriers at Dubai airport is currently on life support due to the extension and ongoing negotiations. Still, there have been no signs of a resolution so far.

To keep the air link open between Israel and the UAE, it has also been suggested to consider Abu Dhabi as a possible spot for rerouting traffic. But Israel is not entirely sold on the idea. Its airlines do not fly to Abu Dhabi due to thin demand, making this a commercially inviable sector. Currently, the only airlines connecting Abu Dhabi with Tel Aviv are Etihad Airways and Wizz Air.

It seems that the negotiations could stretch for days or even weeks before anyone comes to know the exact fate of air connectivity between these two states.

What do you feel about this dispute? Are you hopeful of an agreement anytime soon? Do share your comments below.