(From Dan’s Deals) News reports came out of Israel yesterday that the IDF helped thwart an attack on an Etihad flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi last July.
Sydney to Abu Dhabi is one of Etihad’s flagship routes, featuring their A380 service with business class studios, first class apartments with showers, and The Residence, which is the most luxurious class found on a commercial airliner. I used American miles to fly in an Etihad first class apartment from Abu Dhabi to JFK last March.
A military grade explosive was sent by ISIS operatives from Turkey to Australia. IDF’s Unit 8200 tipped off Australia about the impending attack, which was to be carried out by an attacker having his unsuspecting brother check a meat mincer onto a flight that would have blown a hole on the Etihad flight.
The story seemed a bit confusing to me as the exact details of how it was thwarted aren’t being told, but ABC, Australia’s national broadcaster, is reporting today that Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has confirmed that, “This Etihad flight was almost blown out of the sky and it would have resulted in hundreds of people losing their lives. We are very grateful for the assistance that Israel provided in that matter and we still have a very close relationship with them and many other partners.”
We take the safety of commercial air travel for granted sometimes. Kudos to the IDF for helping keep everyone safe!