Travellers to Marrakesh face ticket halt as Israir suspends Morocco route

Israeli airlines are delaying and suspending flights to Marrakesh and Dubai after Israeli security officials demanded changes to security arrangements, leaving travellers holding tickets for those routes facing uncertainty. El Al has moved its planned return to Dubai from November to 15 December 2026, while Arkia has stopped selling Marrakesh tickets and is working out whether it can still fly passengers who have already bought them.

Key facts

• Arkia halted ticket sales for Marrakesh flights in the week before 28 October 2026 after a demand from Israeli security officials
• Israir has suspended Marrakesh flights, stopped ticket sales and frozen plans to expand the route
• Sun d'Or, an El Al subsidiary, postponed its Marrakesh launch from 16 November 2026 to at least 15 December 2026
• El Al pushed back its Dubai resumption from November to 15 December 2026; Arkia suspended Dubai flights until further notice
• The disruption follows an attempted hijacking involving a Flydubai aircraft on 30 September

What is happening to flights to Morocco?

Arkia stopped selling tickets for its Marrakesh flights and began assessing whether it can operate the services for which tickets have already been sold. The airline said that if Israeli carriers are barred from flying to the destination, it will look at operating the flights through commercial partners.

Arkia is not alone. Israir has already suspended its Marrakesh flights, halted ticket sales and frozen plans to expand the route. Sun d'Or, an El Al subsidiary, has delayed the launch of its Marrakesh service, which had been scheduled for 16 November 2026, until at least 15 December 2026.

What is happening to flights to Dubai?

El Al has postponed the resumption of Dubai flights, originally planned for November, until 15 December 2026. Arkia has suspended its service to the destination until further notice. Both airlines said after the Flydubai incident that they were preparing to resume Dubai flights, but the timetable still depends on the outstanding security issues being resolved.

Why are the routes being delayed?

Since the launch of Operation Roaring Lion, Israeli airlines have been barred from flying to the United Arab Emirates over security concerns, while Flydubai and Etihad continued operating between the two countries through the end of September. The dispute between Israeli security officials and Emirati authorities covers, among other things, the installation of Israeli screening equipment and security arrangements at Dubai airport.

An attempted hijacking involving a Flydubai aircraft on 30 September escalated the situation and raised questions about screening for flight crews and the operation of flights by foreign carriers. Flydubai suspended flights to Israel after the incident, and authorities began reviewing existing security protocols. Israeli security officials have also introduced a requirement to standardise security arrangements for all flights bound for Israel and to consolidate Flydubai's Israel flights in a single, designated area.

What this means for travellers

Passengers booked on Marrakesh services with Arkia should note that ticket sales have stopped and the airline is still assessing whether already-sold tickets can be flown. Israir's Marrakesh flights are suspended, and Sun d'Or's new service has not yet started. For Dubai, El Al's return is now dated 15 December 2026 and Arkia's service is suspended with no restart date given.

No further dates have been announced. The airlines' timetables remain dependent on the security disputes being settled, and Arkia has said it may turn to commercial partners if Israeli carriers cannot fly to Marrakesh.