UAE national airlines Etihad Airways today launched its scheduled flight service between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv. The first flight landed at Ben Gurion airport today at 12.30 pm with UAE Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Al-Khaja, Israel’s Head of Mission to the UAE Mohamed Al-Khaja, and Etihad Group CEO Tony Douglas on board.
Etihad will initially offer two weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv. The return flight, EY599 will connect passengers from Tel Aviv into Abu Dhabi, who will no longer be required to quarantine on arrival, now that Israel has been added to the Abu Dhabi ‘green list’. As well as connecting with the UAE, passengers travelling from Tel Aviv can take advantage of onward connecting flights to 35 destinations worldwide, including major cities across Asia, the Indian sub-continent and Australia.
Douglas said, "Today is a hugely significant moment in Etihad’s history, as we operate our first scheduled commercial flight into Tel Aviv. Last year, we witnessed the UAE and Israel make history when signing the Abraham Accords, and we are tremendously excited about the opportunities this poses to Etihad, and our home Abu Dhabi.
The route is being operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with 290 seats.
Etihad and El Al are continuing preparations for wide-ranging cooperation on the route, and beyond. The partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding in November 2020 covering codeshare on each other’s operations, a frequent flyer tie-up and cooperation in cargo, training and maintenance services.
As part of Etihad Wellness, the airline provides global Covid insurance with every ticket, so passengers are covered when they are away from home.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on April 6, 2021
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