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The Australian government’s official travel advisory arm, Smartraveller, has downgraded its travel advice for the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to Level 2, recommending that travellers “exercise a high degree of caution”.
In March this year, both regions were upgraded to a Level 4 – “do not travel” advisory amid escalating regional conflicts. They were later reduced to a Level 3 – “reconsider need to travel” listing in June.
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Despite this latest revision to a Level 2 – “exercise a high degree of caution” advisory, Smartraveller noted that the “threat of terrorism persists, the security situation in the region remains unpredictable and there is still a risk of escalation and attacks”.
“Monitor current events if you choose to travel to or transit through these locations,” it stated.
“Be aware that the security situation in the region is still unpredictable. Be prepared to change your plans at short notice.”
It comes just one week after two Australians were confirmed to have been on board flydubai flight FZ103 during an attempted hijacking incident and emergency landing on 30 September.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 jet, registration A6-FKF, was travelling from Dubai, UAE, to Tel Aviv, Israel, with 174 passengers and six crew on board, when the aircraft descended rapidly from 34,000 feet to 15,000 feet.
The captain was allegedly stabbed by the first officer, who was said to be trying to gain control and crash the aircraft. The weapon has since been identified as a crash axe, routinely kept in the cockpit to assist the pilots in case of an electrical fire.
Despite his injuries, the captain successfully made several distress radio calls and opened the cockpit door for assistance.
Several passengers and cabin crew entered the cockpit to restrain the co-pilot, while two other pilots onboard were able to safely make an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
All passengers and crew were marked as safe and accounted for, and the captain was treated for his injuries. The first officer was taken back to the UAE for questioning.
Australian authorities have now joined the UAE, Israel and Saudi Arabia in investigating the incident, after it was found that the first officer, identified as 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, attended RMIT University as an engineering student between 2015 and 2017.
Currently, the countries that remain listed on the “do not travel” list include Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Ukraine and Russia, among others.
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