Tel Aviv to Dubai flights now on sale – when can I fly and what does it mean for Israeli travellers and UAE tourism?

Nov 10 , 2020

Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, towers above the skyscrapers of downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Photo: handout

Did Donald Trump’s Middle East diplomacy just work? The sudden thawing of relations with the UAE brings Israel regular four-hour FlyDubai routes to the tourist sights of Dubai, and easier travel to Africa, East Asia and beyond

Dubai budget carrier FlyDubai’s first commercial charter flight to Tel Aviv landed on November 8. In becoming the first Emirati airline to begin flights – after a US-brokered deal to normalise relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel – the flight suggests a new dawn in regional tourism, quite apart from its diplomatic implications.

An aircraft of Israel’s El Al airline, adorned with the word ‘Peace’ in Arabic, English and Hebrew, flies the United Arab Emirates, Israel and US flags at Abu Dhabi airport after becoming the first-ever commercial flight from Israel to the UAE, on August 31, 2020. Photo: Agence France-Presse

Regular scheduled flights on FlyDubai between the two regional financial hubs will begin later this month, the carrier said, after the bilateral air travel pact was signed in October. The state-owned carrier is already selling tickets on its website for dates from November 26.

In recent weeks, planes carrying dozens of Israelis, eager to make public their long-secret business ties with the UAE, have touched down in Dubai to meet their Emirati counterparts. Other national carriers have already started direct cargo flights and the countries have signed a raft of deals, including one granting visa exemption for Israeli travellers.

Atlantis The Palm, a luxury hotel resort in the man-made Palm Jumeirah archipelago off the Gulf emirate of Dubai in July 2020. Photo: Agence France-Presse

FlyDubai said the 14 weekly flights would significantly boost commercial relations between the UAE and Israel, as well as opening up a crucial new hub for Israelis travelling to East Asia and Africa, shaving hours off journey times. The deal has set off a flurry of excitement in Israel, where tourists have for years faced onerous restrictions due to Israel’s status as a political pariah in the Arab world.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to let Israeli flights pass through its airspace for the first time is a diplomatic milestone in itself, making the Tel Aviv-Dubai route commercially viable, with a flight time of just under four hours.