Airline under government probe for illegal flights uses Dubai airport to transport weapons to Israel

A European airline subject of a Department of Transport probe over its illegal weapons flights through Irish territory is using Dubai World Central Airport to transport tonnes of munitions from India to Israel. 

The United Arab Emirates government won’t say if it authorised Challenge Airlines’ transit of Israeli weapons, including warheads, through the state-owned airport.

The Ditch first reported last year that Challenge Airlines illegally transported ammunition and other military explosives to Israel through Irish airspace. 

It was reported last year that the Emirati government was cracking down on residents who had been critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

This wasn’t the first time

On 12 June this year Challenge Airlines flight CHZ256 left Mumbai Airport in India for Dubai World Trade Centre Airport. 

The Maltese-registered aircraft was carrying 20 electromagnetic pulse warheads to the IMI Systems (Israel Military Industries) plant in Ramat Hasharon, Israel, according to shipping records obtained and verified by The Ditch.

The plane remained in Dubai for just a few hours before eventually leaving for Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

This wasn’t the first time Challenge Airlines used the Mumbai-Dubai-Tel Aviv route to transport military goods to Israel.

In April of this year another Challenge Airlines flight using the same route transported a pallet of parts for Elbit’s electronic intelligence-gathering UAVs (drones). 

Meanwhile the same airline transported a 276-kilogramme shipment of turret parts to Elbit Systems, flagged on shipping records as “defence goods”, from India to Israel via Dubai World Trade Airport on 30 June. 

The United Arab Emirates government declined to comment.