Emirates airline announces second daily flight between Dubai, Tel Aviv

The Emirates airline announced on Wednesday that it plans to expand its Tel Aviv schedule with a second daily flight.

The flights – set to begin from 30 October 2022 – were added “to boost connectivity and increase travel options for customers flying between Dubai and Tel Aviv”, according to the airline.

The news comes just over one month after Emirates touched down in Tel Aviv on 23 June on its first ever service into Israel.

The flights were supposed to begin last December but were halted due to concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant.

“The additional morning frequency is in response to high demand for travel to/from Israel, and builds on the success of Emirates’ existing operation, as the airline reaffirms its commitment to growing its presence in the country,” Emirates said in a statement.

The second daily flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv “will also provide another 20 tonnes of cargo belly-hold capacity for businesses, further opening global trade lanes through enhanced import and export opportunities,” according to the airline.

The flight will be served by the Emirates Boeing 777-300ER in a three class configuration.

The UAE and Israel normalised ties in 2020 under the Abraham Accords and have been signed a dizzying array of cooperation agreements since then, in fields ranging from banking to filmmaking.

Direct flights from Israel to the United Arab Emirates began after the normalisation accord and hundreds of thousands of Israelis have visited the Gulf state.

Airlines operating flights include Emirati carrier Flydubai and Israeli airlines El Al, Arkia and Israir.