TEL AVIV, October 6 (HS/RIA Novosti) - There has been no mass cancellation of trips to Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, by Israelis following the recent incident on a flydubai flight, Karina Sarkisyants, head of outbound tourism at major Israeli tour operator Atlantis Travel, told RIA Novosti.

No, they're not canceling, Sarkisyants said.

Sarkisyants noted that despite the cancellation of flydubai flights, prices and demand for tickets to the UAE have remained unchanged.

On September 30, a flydubai flight en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv issued an emergency signal and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The airline later confirmed that a fight had broken out between the pilots during the flight. Media reports subsequently emerged stating that one of the pilots had wounded the other with a knife and attempted to cause a plane crash.

As passengers on the flight later told RIA Novosti, a scuffle broke out in the cockpit, during which the co-pilot wounded the aircraft's captain. Two other flydubai pilots who happened to be among the passengers managed to bring the situation under control, after which the plane diverted and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Israeli authorities called the incident an attempted terrorist attack. The UAE Prosecutor General's Office, which is investigating the incident, also said that preliminary findings point to an attempted terrorist act. The Prosecutor General's Office added that the co-pilot attacked the aircraft commander using a standard emergency axe and tried to gain control of the plane.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar