Israel-Dubai flights might halt to airport security issues

The Israeli tourism minister has said that both parties have been going further away from the agreement while the Dubai counterpart has declined to comment, stating the relevant authorities are dealing with it

With talks about security between Isreal and Dubai at the hiatus in the Gulf hub, there is an increasing risk of flights between the two countries being halted. Dubai's reluctance to have Israel's Shin Bet security service in the airport lies at the heart of the dispute. 

With a historic deal between the two countries that normalized ties between Israel and Dubai, direct flights between UAE and Israel began in 2020. But the aviation accord hit some snags when the security service Shin Bet had to advise Israel's carriers, El Al, Arika and Isair to end Dubai flights from March 8 without improved security there. 

These kinds of services are provided by local authorities all around the globe, the Israeli concerns about terrorism have led its security services to take a more proactive role in vetting foreign hubs. Services meanwhile have been cut to a collective three a day, but flights operated by Dubai-based carriers have continued without any change. 

The Israeli tourism minister has said that both parties have been going further away from the agreement while the Dubai counterpart has declined to comment, stating that it was being dealt with by the relevant authorities.