The first regular commercial flight from the United Arab Emirates lands in Israel

The first regular commercial aeroplane from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) landed in Israel after flying from Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport; a historic event that was represented by an image of the flags of both nations flying in the cockpit. 

Following the historic agreement on the normalisation of diplomatic relations between the Jewish and Arab countries, reached in August under the mediation of the United States and initialled at the White House in September, it did not take long for the Emirati airline Etihad to set up a direct commercial flight between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. The direct EY9607 flight arrived early in the morning, just one day after both countries ratified an aviation agreement. The plane is expected to take off again for Abu Dhabi in the next few hours.

It is unclear who was on board, as tickets between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi have not yet been made available to the general public, as stated by the Times of Israel. 

The normalisation of relations between the Emirates and Israel is progressing rapidly after the historic Abraham Accords, sponsored by the United States government of Donald Trump, were ratified. Both countries agreed that up to 28 direct flights per week will be allowed and on Tuesday an official Emirate delegation is expected to arrive in Israel to continue agreeing on the next steps. 

The new aviation agreement, to be signed on Tuesday at Ben Gurion Airport, will enable 10 weekly cargo flights, while charter flights between the UAE and Israel’s Ramon Airport, near Eilat, will be unlimited.

Israeli carrier Israir announced last month that it will offer direct flights to Abu Dhabi, but for the time being, especially given the health crisis triggered by the global pandemic, it is difficult to estimate the demand. Meanwhile, Israel's national airline El Al will also offer flights on the route. 

Last June, before the agreement for establishing relations was signed, a cargo flight by Etihad also landed in Tel Aviv, an exception made by both countries for the Emirates to bring medical aid to the Palestinians to deal with the coronavirus.

Shortly afterwards, on August 31, an El Al flight with advisors to US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on board flew from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi to finalise the details of the agreement to establish diplomatic relations between UAE and Israel.  

Meanwhile, an Israeli official said last week that direct flights would be postponed until January due to the coronavirus.  

Last week, the UAE’s Etihad Airways launched a Hebrew-language website, with high hopes for burgeoning tourism and business trade. The message, “Welcome from Abu Dhabi,” greets users as they enter the website, with different sections on safety protocols and other destinations offered by the airline also appearing in Hebrew.

Local authorities in Abu Dhabi have instructed all hotels in the city to prepare kosher food options ahead of the expected influx of tourists from Israel.