Photo: Anna Zvereva, “FlyDubai, A6-FMA, Boeing 737-8 MAX”, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Emirates Wire | Thursday, 1 October 2026
By Steve Moore
Morning. Steve Moore here. flydubai has suspended flights to and from Israel while authorities investigate the cockpit incident that forced Wednesday’s Dubai–Tel Aviv service to land in Saudi Arabia. The UAE’s aviation regulator has described it as a “security incident” and warned against pre-empting the investigation’s findings.
For residents, the new month begins with every UAE petrol grade above Dh4 a litre, a day after Dubai’s first public Etihad Rail service departed Al Yalayis. If you’re new to Emirates Wire, subscribe for a weekday briefing that follows UAE decisions from the negotiating room to the journeys you make.
UAE investigates as passengers reach Tel Aviv
flydubai said on-duty crew travelling aboard FZ1073 secured the aircraft and diverted it to Tabuk, where it landed safely. Passengers subsequently arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on a replacement flydubai service, the BBC reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot had stabbed the other and apparently tried to crash the aircraft. He said a passenger had described intervening in the cockpit with a crew member, and that a pilot had been arrested and was being questioned by Saudi authorities. Flight-tracking data cited by Reuters showed a steep descent before the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia.
The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) confirmed on Wednesday evening that crew members had been injured and taken to hospital in Saudi Arabia. It said investigators were examining the causes and circumstances, including operational and security aspects, and urged the public not to circulate unofficial information. Its statement did not establish a terrorist motive; flydubai had earlier said the reasons and motives remained unknown.
The UAE Foreign Ministry also confirmed that Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke by telephone with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and enquired about the passengers’ safety. Separately, Netanyahu said he had spoken with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed about addressing flight security, according to Ynet.
flydubai’s third statement announced the temporary suspension of flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues, replacing its earlier assurance that scheduled operations were unaffected. The airline said it would review the suspension as more information became available and help affected passengers with alternative arrangements where possible.
Abu Dhabi-based media executive and policy adviser Nadim Koteich criticised Arab newsrooms’ reliance on Israeli coverage of the incident, writing that Israeli media had become “the local press for the entire region”. He urged regional media to examine their ability to report and explain their own stories before others do it for them.
Qatar delivers Washington’s reply
On the diplomatic front, Qatar has carried a US response to Iran’s seven-day proposal: Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi received the feedback in Doha on Tuesday night while returning from New York, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters. The official, who was not Iranian, said Araghchi was expected to discuss it in Tehran on Wednesday.
According to that account, the main disagreement concerns the order of the proposed steps, rather than their components; the document includes measures on Iran’s nuclear programme and aims to restore an enhanced version of the June understanding. That remains an unnamed official’s description of the negotiations, not a jointly announced agreement.
Trump has publicly denied reports that he offered sanctions relief or the release of frozen Iranian funds in return for nuclear concessions, writing: “This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING”. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, said mediators were exchanging messages and seeking common ground, without announcing a deal.
The order matters because each government needs to know what it receives before making its own concessions. Until that is settled, receipt of a reply is progress in the conversation, not evidence that the Strait of Hormuz is about to reopen.
Riyadh denies joining the Abu Dhabi talks
Iran also features in a much broader account of Sunday’s meeting between Netanyahu and President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed: Israel’s Channel 14 claims a second session included representatives from ten countries and discussed regional security cooperation. The report rests on one unnamed Emirati source, and its list includes Saudi Arabia alongside the UAE, Israel, the US and several other Arab states.
Saudi participation is disputed: a Saudi official told Agence France-Presse, “No official meetings. No talks. Nothing whatsoever. Our stance on Israel remains unchanged”. A Saudi source also told Arab News there was no truth to reports that a Saudi representative attended.
The UAE’s public account confirms the bilateral meeting and discussion of relations, without confirming the wider gathering described by Channel 14. There is no basis to report an agreed ten-country security alliance.
Petrol rises by up to 60 fils a litre
At home, October’s fuel prices take effect today, with petrol rising by 59 or 60 fils a litre and diesel by 50 fils. The published rates put every petrol grade above Dh4.
Super 98: Dh4.40 a litre, up from Dh3.80.
Special 95: Dh4.28, up from Dh3.69.
E-Plus 91: Dh4.21, up from Dh3.61.
Diesel: Dh4.80, up from Dh4.30.
Buying 50 litres of Special 95 now costs Dh214, up Dh29.50 from September’s price. That figure is useful to compare with alternatives when planning a regular journey.
Dubai’s passenger trains complete their first journeys
One of those alternatives began carrying passengers on Wednesday: the first public Dubai–Abu Dhabi train left Al Yalayis at 6.14 am and reached Mohamed Bin Zayed City station, Gulf News reported. The return service left Abu Dhabi at 7.43 am and reached Dubai at 8.47 am.
Gulf News found both Comfort and Premium tickets sold out for the 1.14 pm departure when it checked the booking platform; other services still had seats. That is an encouraging opening-day result, though it will take ordinary working weeks to show how many passengers become regular commuters.
For those driving to Al Yalayis, Gulf News reports parking at Dh5 an hour and Dh30 for stays of five hours or more, with an overnight charge of Dh40 covering 1 am to 5 am. Check the posted tariff and your train fare before committing to a regular park-and-ride journey, and include the onward connection in the comparison.
Dubai Loop prepares its machinery
For shorter journeys within the city, Dubai is developing the Loop, an underground system that would carry passengers in electric vehicles. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed reviewed its progress with The Boring Company president Steve Davis on Tuesday.
The Emirates News Agency, WAM, reports that the tunnel-boring machine is being assembled and concrete tunnel-lining segments are being cast. Gulf News puts the planned first-phase requirement at about 25,000 segments, but the progress report does not establish that tunnel boring has started.
The proposed system is intended to connect busy destinations and improve journeys to and from other transport services. For passengers, the useful test will be how those connections work once there is a service to use.
What to watch today
FZ1073: Findings from the GCAA and Saudi authorities, and any change to flydubai’s suspension of flights to and from Israel.
Iran talks: Tehran’s response to the US feedback and whether mediators can secure an agreed order for the proposed steps.
The commute: Ticket availability after the opening-day rush, and how the new fuel rates change the cost of driving.
If someone you know makes the Dubai–Abu Dhabi trip regularly, send them this edition. They can subscribe to receive the next briefing directly.
Thanks for reading. Send stories, corrections and the view from where you are to steve@emirateswire.co.uk.
Have a good Thursday. If the new fuel prices have changed how you plan to travel this month, I’d like to hear what you’ve decided.
Steve
Emirates Wire uses AI tools to assist with research, early drafting, fact-checking and copy-editing. Steve Moore reviews, edits and personally approves every sentence before publication.