Israel approves resumption of passenger flights from today

UPDATE: The Israeli government has authorised the reopening of Ben Gurion Airport from today Sunday 7 March 2021.

Initially, only flights from New York, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Kyiv, Toronto and Hong Kong will be permitted to land. Arrivals will be limited to 3,000 per day.

Flights from other destinations are expected to restart soon. El Al and flydubai are both selling tickets between Dubai and Tel Aviv from Sunday 14 March 2021.

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This post provides an overview of all of the airlines that have announced flights between the UAE and Israel. 

Emirates appears set to finally offer its own connection between Dubai and Tel Aviv. Globes is reporting that Emirates will start flying daily from 15 February 2021.

The schedule is not yet loaded on Emirates.com. However, once it does there should be plenty of Skywards redemption seats available. Check out my guide to using Skywards Miles to fly to Israel.

flydubai first to launch direct flights to Israel 

flydubai made history last year as the first Emirati airline to operate regularly scheduled passenger flights between the two countries.

flydubai is operating three flights per day between Dubai International (DXB) and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion (TLV). The flight will depart from Dubai Terminal 3, making for easy connections to and from the Emirates network.  

• FZ1163 departs Dubai at 9:40 – arrives Tel Aviv at 11:35
• FZ1549 departs Dubai at 13:00 – arrives Tel Aviv at 14:55
• FZ1627 depart Dubai at 21:50 – arrives Tel Aviv at 23:45

• FZ1628 departs Tel Aviv at 00:45 – arrives Dubai at 05:55
• FZ1164 departs Tel Aviv at 12:35 – arrives Dubai at 17:45
• FZ1545 departs Tel Aviv at 15:55 – arrives Dubai at 20:55 

It is possible to use Skywards miles to fly to Tel Aviv with flydubai. However, my post on using Skywards Miles to fly to Israel explains why it is not a good idea to do so.

EL AL has the best seat between Israel and Dubai

El Al Israel Airlines initially announced plans to operate 14 weekly flights between Tel Aviv and Dubai from 13 December 2020. However, this was scaled back after the Israeli government reintroduced a quarantine requirement on arrivals from the UAE.

The full schedule will now start on 1 February 2021. The plans include up to three flights per day on Thursdays and Sundays. This suggests El Al expects significant demand from leisure travellers (or commuting consultants). 

Six of El Al’s weekly flights will be operated by the airline’s Dreamliner 787. The aircraft features one of my favourite business class seats in the sky. 

Etihad Airways to start flights in 2021

Etihad Airways flights to Israel will start on 28 March 2021. The daily flights to Tel Aviv will operate using a short-haul configured A321. 

• EY598 departs Abu Dhabi at 9.45 am – arrives Tel Aviv at 12.10 pm
• EY599 departs Tel Aviv at 3.15 pm- arrives Abu Dhabi at 7.35 pm

Etihad has launched a Hebrew language website and signed an agreement with El Al to work together in several areas including: 

• Joint codeshare services
• Reciprocal ‘earn and burn’ on frequent flyer programmes

The last point means Etihad Guest members should be able to use Guest Miles to book El Al’s flight from Dubai. Members of Matmid, El Al’s frequent flyer club will also be able to redeem miles for flights on Etihad Airways flights between the two capitals and beyond.

Check out my post on using Etihad Guest miles to book flights between Abu Dhabi and Israel.

Low-cost options

Low-cost Israeli carriers Arkia and Israir have also started selling tickets between Israel and the UAE.

Why are these flights great news for travellers?

I am excited about flights beginning for several reasons not least the historic nature of the new flights and what they represent for the future of the region. 

Israel is a very appealing destination for expats living in the UAE. It has everything you need for a great trip: history, culture, beaches, nightlife and most importantly, delicious food. The short flying time also makes it a viable option for a weekend trip. The direct flying time between the UAE and Israel will be roughly 3.5 hours.

The Mediterranean climate is also a big plus. The weather in Tel Aviv is on average about 8 degrees cooler than Abu Dhabi and Dubai during the summer months. That makes Israel one the best choices for those seeking respite from the summer heat in the UAE. 

The new flight connections will also be great news for Israelis. Not only do they get direct access to everything the UAE has to offer but also shorter journey time to destinations in Asia and the Far East. 

For example, transiting in Dubai or Abu Dhabi could save up to eight hours on a journey from Tel Aviv to Singapore. 

Shalom Alaikum!

A year ago, I was getting excited about the prospect of being able to visit Saudi Arabia for the first time. A year on Israel is the new kid in town.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, Israel is currently only admitting citizens and permanent residents of Israel. All arrivals in Israel are also now required to quarantine for 14 days.

Expats in the UAE will have to wait a little longer before planning a trip. However, once Isreal does reopen the flights announced so far appear ideal for planning a short or long weekend break. 

The historic Abraham Accord to normalise relations between the two countries fully will unlock pent up demand from Israelis to visit the UAE and vice versa with some forecasts of up to 500,000 arrivals annually.

The UAE is equally keen to give a warm welcome to visitors from Israel. The Financial Times reported that the government of the UAE is eager to see the hotels in Abu Dhabi and Dubai full of Israelis next Passover. 

So…marhaba to new friends from Israel and see you soon in Tel Aviv!