Flydubai halts Tel Aviv routes after emergency landing and onboard altercation

Flydubai has suspended all flights to and from Israel “until further notice” as authorities investigate Wednesday’s FZ1073 incident, which saw a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after an “altercation” on the plane’s flight deck, the airline said in a statement. Emirates followed suit by pausing its codeshare flights to Tel Aviv.

A specialized Public Prosecution team will investigate the incident following UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi’s orders, Emirati state news agency Wam reports. The team, working alongside the General Civil Aviation Authority and other Emirati authorities, has been directed to gather evidence and lay out the facts, circumstances, and motives behind the incident — including whether it was linked to any terrorist activity or involved prior planning. Wam noted that UAE judicial authorities have jurisdiction since the aircraft is UAE-registered and flies the UAE flag, meaning UAE law applies to crimes committed on board even outside the country’s territory.

Hold, please

Opec+ is expected to leave production targets unchanged for November at its Sunday meeting, Reuters reports, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter. The group has been raising its output targets for most of the ​year but kept them steady for October. In the six months prior, Opec+ approved consecutive quota hikes for September of 188k bbl / d, continuing identical quota hikes for August, July, and June.

The seven core Opec+ producers produced 25 mn bbl / d in August, ​up 630k bbl / d from ⁠July yet still roughly 5 mn bbl / d below pre-war levels in February. Reuters previously reported that Opec+ is likely to hold production increases for three months starting October ahead of talks to determine new production quotes among members.

Cutting out the middleman

Pilgrims can now book their Hajj for the current Hijri year directly with Saudi Arabia’s Hajj and Umrah Ministry, cutting out the external agencies that handle close to 1.7 mn foreign pilgrims a year, the Saudi Press Agency reports. A single online agreement on the ministry’s Nusuk Masar portal covers holy site arrangements, accommodation in Makkah and Madinah, transport, and catering.

No double dipping

Qatar and Tanzania signed a double taxation avoidance agreement to cut the tax burden on businesses and investors operating between the two countries. It adds to Qatar’s network of more than 80 bilateral double taxation and tax information exchange agreements and follows June’s ratification of its treaty with the UAE.