Israir Airlines and Tourism Ltd. is expected to launch Tel Aviv - Dubai flights next month. The first flight on October 2 at 10am to Dubai already appears on the Ben Gurion airport flight schedule although the Israeli carrier has yet to receive an official permit from the UAE. The flight over Saudi airspace takes three and a half hours.
Israir will market four-night vacation packages to the UAE starting from $700. Israir will likely be the first carrier flying what is likely to become one of the most popular routes flying between Ben Gurion Airport and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE. El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE: ELAL) when it restarts operation will operate passenger and cargo services as will the two huge UAE airlines - Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airways and Dubai based Emirates.
The opening of the route will enormously shake up Israel's airlines, which in Etihad and Emirates will have to compete with two of the world's finest airlines.
Israeli aviation expert Yossi Fischer said, "Israeli aviation is going to completely change. The UAE is the world's strongest aviation power. Above and beyond its influence on passengers flights and mainly connection flights to eastern destinations, the change will also be expressed in cargo transport. 90 million passengers and two million tons of good pass through Dubai airport each year."
He adds, "The UAE understands what a wonderful opportunity they have and they know the Israeli market well through the companies that they own such as Air Serbia and Alitalia including the traveling habits of Israelis going east, mainly on connection flights with Turkish Airlines, and Aeroflot. Those two companies will pay a heavy price because Israeli traffic to East Asia, Australia and Africa will now go through the UAE, which will also have a price advantage. It will also affect smaller players like Royal Jordanian, Ukraine International and Ethiopian Airlines. The agreement for the UAE airlines is coming at an excellent time because they are experiencing a huge fall in passenger traffic because they are based on transit flights.
en.globes.co.il - on September 9, 2020 © Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2020