Manama: Etihad Airways, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, will start daily scheduled flights to Israel in March next year after the two countries established diplomatic ties.
Direct flights between the emirates’ capital of Abu Dhabi and the Israeli city of Tel Aviv will start March 28, the state-owned carrier said in a statement on Monday. The scheduled service will be timed to connect with Etihad services to and from China, Thailand, India and Australia, it said.
Tickets are already available on Etihad’s website.
The announcement comes after another state-owned flydubai said it would start direct flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv later this month.
Dubai's airport operator has said major Israeli Airlines, El Al ELAL.TA, Israir, and Arkia, will begin Tel Aviv-Dubai services in December.
Etihad, flydubai and Israel’ El Al have operated charter services between the UAE and Israel in recent months. Etihad was the first GCC carrier to operate a commercial passenger flight between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv on October 19.
The air route became commercially viable after Saudi Arabia decided to allow Israeli jets to traverse its skies, cutting the flight time between the countries to some three hours.
Mohammad Al-Bulooki, chief operating officer of Etihad Aviation Group, praised the commencement of scheduled flights as a historic moment that opens up opportunities for trade and tourism not just between the two countries but also within the region and beyond.
The regular flight service would turn Abu Dhabi into a crucial travel hub for Israelis traveling to China, India and Australia, it said.
In recent weeks, a series of Israeli delegations, including entrepreneurs, tourists and even Israeli settlers from the occupied West Bank, has flown to Dubai for meetings with Emirati business people and officials.
The UAE and Israel signed a US-brokered accord normalising ties on the White House in September 15. Soon after the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan agreed to formalize ties with Israel in similar agreements.
