Manama: Direct flights between Israel and the UAE to be procrastinated due to coronavirus, an Israeli official said Tuesday
According to reports, it was slated to begin in October after a landmark normalization deal, but is now tentatively delayed to January.
The flight service announced after the two countries signed the deal at the White House last month aims to open up tourism and new business ventures despite the Covid-19 slowdown.
But a second lockdown in Israel has put plans on hold, denting hopes for quick gains. Israel has one of the world's highest daily coronavirus infection rates per capita, with the number of seriously ill patients steadily rising.
I feel with the Covid-19 that we’re kind of running with our hands behind our backs, Jerusalem’s deputy mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum told AFP during a visit to Dubai.
There were supposed to be direct flights in October, then Israel went into shutdown. Now, we’re looking at the first of January, said Hassan-Nahoum, who is also co-founder of the UAE-Israel Business Council.
Despite the delay, Hassan-Nahoum said the tourism sector will be among the first to benefit from the normalization agreement.
With the accord having taken everyone by surprise, there are few firm projections but she said industry experts estimated 100-250,000 visitors a year from each side.
I can tell you in Israel there’s such a thirst for peace and normalization within our country, especially the UAE which is the most modern economy of the Middle East. People are really excited, she said.
A new influx of tourists will be welcome news for Dubai, which has the region’s most diversified economy but saw GDP contract 3.5 percent in the first quarter, after two years of modest growth.
Emirates airline has been forced to lay off more pilots and cabin crew as a result of the impact of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
