Flydubai to launch first commercial service to Tel Aviv

Dubai budget airline flydubai said Wednesday it will start direct flights to Tel Aviv this month, the first regular commercial service between the cities, after the UAE and Israel agreed to normalise ties.

"The carrier will operate 14 flights a week, offering a double daily service between Dubai International Airport and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport," it said in a statement, adding that flights will start from November 26. 

The United Arab Emirates in September signed a US-brokered deal to formalise relations with Israel, the first such agreement by a Gulf Arab state. 

While the UAE and other Arab states have rushed to embrace Israel, opinion among Arab populations remains strongly against normalisation.

"The start of scheduled flights will contribute to economic development and create further opportunities for investment," flydubai CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith said in the statement.

With their economies hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, the UAE and Israel are hoping for rapid dividends from the normalisation deal.

They have already signed treaties on direct flights and visa-free travel, along with accords on investment protection, science and technology.

The UAE is only the third Arab country to normalise ties with Israel following Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. 

However, its move was quickly followed by Bahrain and last month Sudan followed suit.

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The consensus had been that there should be no relations with Israel until it makes peace with the Palestinians.