Israel to approve up to NIS 9 million to fund flights bringing stranded Israelis home from Dubai after flydubai suspension
Why It MattersThe episode shows how security-driven empty-leg flight rules can make rescue operations commercially unviable without state intervention, prompting ad hoc government subsidy mechanisms for regional carriers.
Israel's government is expected to approve on Tuesday an assistance mechanism of up to NIS 9 million for Israeli airlines operating flights from Dubai to Israel, after flydubai suspended its scheduled service and left thousands of Israelis stranded in Dubai without a way home. Under the proposed resolution circulated by the Transportation Ministry, the state would help cover the cost of flying empty aircraft from Israel to Dubai and fund the separate transfer of passengers' baggage by cargo flight, since security restrictions bar passengers on the outbound leg and baggage cannot currently be loaded into the hold on return flights.
Israeli airlines began operating rescue flights on Friday, but the Transportation Ministry warned the cost of the mandatory empty outbound leg could make operations economically unviable and push airlines to cut flights below what is needed. Under the proposed safety-net mechanism, Israelis will keep buying tickets normally, and the state will only contribute if passenger revenue fails to cover a flight's cost, with assistance capped at the costs generated by the empty-leg requirement or baggage transport. Following a demand by the United Arab Emirates that baggage arrangements be made, the Transportation Ministry will work through the Defense Ministry to bring luggage to Israel on separate cargo aircraft, and the Civil Aviation Authority will publish procedures setting limits on duration, scope and a cap on the cost of each flight segment.
Of the total, NIS 5.5 million will come from funds allocated for implementing coalition agreements in 2026, reducing that budget item from NIS 6 million to NIS 500,000, while a further NIS 3.5 million will come from the Transportation Ministry's budget; the finance and defense ministers have agreed to the proposal. The arrangement will remain in effect until Thursday or until flydubai resumes flights to Israel, whichever comes first, and the ministry's legal adviser determined that approving the measure during the current election period was legally permissible given the exceptional circumstances. A similar mechanism was used in July following Operation Roaring Lion, when the government approved financial assistance for Israeli airlines on a larger scale.
