etihad airlines – The Milli Chronicle https://www.millichronicle.com Factual Version of a Story Mon, 16 Nov 2020 12:19:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://media.millichronicle.com/2018/11/12122950/logo-m-01-150x150.png etihad airlines – The Milli Chronicle https://www.millichronicle.com 32 32 Abu Dhabi’s Etihad to start direct flights to Israel next year https://www.millichronicle.com/2020/11/abu-dhabis-etihad-to-start-direct-flights-to-israel-next-year.html Mon, 16 Nov 2020 12:15:33 +0000 https://millichronicle.com/?p=15771 Abu Dahbi (Reuters) – Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways said on Monday it would start daily flights to Tel Aviv in March after the United Arab Emirates and Israel’s established formal ties this year.

Flight will start March 28 and will be timed to connect with Etihad services to and from China, Thailand, India and Australia, the state-owned carrier said in a statement.

The announcement comes as the aviation industry faces its worst-ever crisis because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has wrecked air travel demand.

Etihad has slashed jobs and pushed forward with plans to shrink into a mid-sized carrier focused on carrying passengers to and from Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital.

Abu Dhabi does not allow non-residents to enter the emirate at its airport, and has not said when that coronavirus-related restriction would be lifted.

Neighbouring Dubai allows foreign visitors to enter.

State-owned flydubai will launch direct flights to Tel Aviv this month, while Dubai’s airport operator has said El Al (ELAL.TA), Israir, Arkia will start Tel Aviv-Dubai services in December,

Etihad, flydubai and Israel’ El Al have operated charter services between the UAE and Israel in recent months.

]]> First Emirati passenger plane lands in Israel from UAE https://www.millichronicle.com/2020/10/first-emirati-passenger-plane-lands-in-israel-from-uae.html Mon, 19 Oct 2020 09:37:27 +0000 https://millichronicle.com/?p=14902 Tel Aviv (AFP) – The first ever passenger flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel landed near Tel Aviv on Monday, a month after the countries signed an agreement normalizing ties.

Etihad Airways flight EY 9607 from Abu Dhabi landed at Ben Gurion airport early in the morning with only crew on board, a spokeswoman for the Israel Airports Authority told AFP.

The plane picked up Israeli tourism professionals, who would be flying to the UAE for a two-day trip visit organized by Israeli company Maman Group, the spokeswoman said.

The UAE carrier said it had made “history”. “Etihad has become the first Gulf airline to operate a passenger flight to Israel. And this is only the beginning,” the airline said on Twitter.


Etihad planes had landed in Ben Gurion with medical supplies in May and June to help the Palestinians cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

The Palestinians, who object the agreement Israel forged with the UAE, refused to receive the aid.

In August, Israel and the UAE announced that they had reached a US-brokered deal to normalize ties, following years of discreet economic and security cooperation.

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, ratified the UAE deal last week.

The UAE and Israel were due on Tuesday to sign an agreement to have 28 weekly commercial flights between the countries, a transportation ministry official said.

In Manama on Sunday, Israel and Bahrain signed a deal to establish relations, making the UAE and Bahrain only the third and fourth Arab states to normalize ties with Israel, following Israel’s 1979 peace deal with Egypt and a 1994 pact with Jordan.

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