UAE pulls landing clearance, forcing Israeli airline to cancel Dubai rescue flights
In an advisory displayed on its digital platform, El Al said that “due to the cancellation of approval for Israeli companies to land in Dubai, as was reported by the authorities in Israel, we are forced to cancel, at this stage, our rescue flights (LY974-1, LY972) for tomorrow, Friday, October 2.”
Overnight reports indicated that the UAE had revoked its clearance, although the Transportation Ministry initially said delays were expected but the flights would still operate, The Times of Israel reported.
Scheduled services for the following week remain on the timetable, although all seats on those flights have already been booked, according to the announcement. Who spoke to CBS News, the flight was nearing Israeli airspace when the attack took place, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking to Fox and Friends, Netanyahu said crew members used earphone cords and plastic cuffs to restrain the attacker. David Mencer, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister, separately told Fox News’ daily news programme “The Story” that Netanyahu had received a detailed account from a passenger who entered the cockpit with flight attendants. “That pilot wasn’t sitting in the pilot’s chair,” Mencer said. Netanyahu also told Fox News that “personal information” gathered during interrogations led Israeli authorities to conclude that the co-pilot “underwent Islamist radical indoctrination. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had earlier described the incident as “an attempted jihadist terror attack” and called the co-pilot a “terrorist. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump suggested that the co-pilot could have links to Tehran, saying the assessment was “based on what I’m hearing.”
Machchhar managed to fend off the co-pilot long enough to open the cockpit door, while two off-duty pilots onboard took control of the aircraft and landed it safely in Tabuk. “He was standing over the controls. He was using his feet to destroy the controls of the aircraft while he was attacking that Indian pilot. Mencer added, “His objective was to bring down that airplane.