Israeli passengers arrive at Ben Gurion Airport after flydubai suspension

Israeli passengers arrive at Ben Gurion Airport after flydubai suspension

Israeli passengers stranded in Dubai arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on an Arkia Airlines flight, the first since the Emirati airline flydubai suspended the route and Israel's flag carrier El Al cancelled planned repatriation flights, Reuters reported.

The flights were suspended after an Israel-bound flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on 30 September, after its co-pilot allegedly attempted to crash the plane.

The flydubai flight was travelling from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport with 180 passengers on board, most of them Israeli.

About an hour before its scheduled arrival, the plane began a steep descent, dropping from 34,000 feet (10,363 metres) to 16,000 feet (4876.8 metres) in less than two minutes.

It eventually landed safely in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia.