Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Saudi Arabia after reported in-flight incident

Good afternoon, friends, and happy almost-weekend. Today we look at a small but growing corner of Egyptian agriculture: farmers growing heirloom tomatoes, blueberries, fennel, Brussels sprouts, and other produce that used to arrive imported — and testing whether enough Egyptian buyers will pay what it costs to grow it here. The economics are tight, and the customer base is still forming. Elsewhere in today’s issue: We have Fatima Bhutto’s unputdownable memoir about a decade-long relationship, a political dynasty, and a Jack Russell terrier named Coco who saved her.

But first, the news…

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

🌐 Leading the headlines this afternoon is a flydubai plane bound for Israel that landed off-route in Saudi Arabia after transmitting three emergency signals, according to flight-tracking platform Flightradar24, alongside reports of an altercation on the flight deck.

The plane, carrying around 170 passengers, landed safely after it signaled an emergency code two hours into the flight.

MEANWHILE- Britain and EU relations could be up for reconsideration, with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham saying the country should reexamine its long-term relationship with the European Union, including a possibility of rejoining the bloc, reiterating his view that Brexit has “done more harm than good.” During his Labour Party annual conference speech on Tuesday, Burnham pledged to further discuss options at a UK-EU summit happening later this year, including rejoining the EU’s single market or entering a customs union.

^^Read more on: BBC, Bloomberg, and Reuters.

We’re delighted to welcome Todd Wilcox as a guest speaker at the 2026 EnterpriseAM Egypt Forum.

Todd Wilcox is the deputy chairman and CEO of HSBC Bank Egypt, bringing more than 30 years of international banking experience. He joined Egypt from HSBC China, where he served as Senior Executive Vice President, Deputy CEO, and Executive Director of the Board.

Todd has held a series of senior leadership roles across HSBC, including CEO of Brunei for the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, CRO for Asia-Pacific overseeing 11 markets, and COO for Risk across all Asian markets. He also served as head of retail banking and marketing at HSBC Bermuda, and began his career with HSBC in Canada. Prior to HSBC, Todd worked at Royal Bank of Canada across a range of business and functional roles.

Join us on 5 October in Cairo. Attendance is by invitation only, and we’ve reached full capacity.

Request your invitation here to join the waitlist.

** CATCH UP QUICK on the top stories from today’s EnterpriseAM:

• The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) issued a full licensing and supervision framework for credit guarantee companies, six years after Central Bank and Banking Sector Law No. 194 of 2020 first brought them under its oversight. The CBE board approved the rules at its 23 September meeting. For the first time, the framework sets binding prudential ratios, a formal licensing process, and ownership limits, moving them from a largely contractual model to a regulated financial activity;
• Majid Al Futtaim will invest around USD 3.4 bn in Egypt over the next five years, more than it has spent here in 27 years. The Emirati group’s cumulative investment in the market stands at some USD 2.8 bn. The new money goes into urban development, business complexes, and hospitality;
• Grova Developments awarded sister company Hassan Allam Construction a USD 1 bn contract to build its 303-acre (c. 1.2 mn sqm) Grova Westfields project in Sheikh Zayed, West Cairo. The development is being delivered with the Egyptian Kuwaiti Company for Real Estate Development, near Sphinx International Airport, the Grand Egyptian Museum, and the Pyramids Corridor;
• Bank NXT signed a EGP 2.1 bn credit facility with Ezz Elarab Elsewedy for Investments to fund expansion at its automotive factories and build a new automotive paint plant. The bank framed the loan as part of its push to grow its corporate lending book, finance large private-sector investments, and deepen supply-chain localization.

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- We’re in for some cloudy conditions in the capital tomorrow, with temperatures peaking at 31°C before dropping to 22°C overnight, according to our favorite weather app.