The United Arab Emirates' largest airline will launch daily services to Israel in the summer, Israel Hayom learned Wednesday. The announcement comes nearly two years since the Abraham Accords established official ties between the two countries.
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Emirates will begin flights to Tel Aviv on June 23, 2022. The first such flight, labeled EK931, is expected to depart from Dubai at 3:50 PM and touch down at Ben-Gurion International Airport at 6:00 PM local time, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Though the service's initial debut was planned back in December, the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus prompted delays.
"We look forward to finally welcoming customers onboard our flights to and from Tel Aviv this summer, and offer them substantial connectivity to and through our Dubai hub," the airline's Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim said, WAM reported.
The official said that the flights aim to expand on commercial opportunities and bolster relations between both states.
"Emirates is committed to creating new opportunities for business and tourism, and strengthening the bilateral ties between the UAE and Israel," Kazim explained.
Flights on this new service will also include around 20 tons of cargo capacity on each plane, which will provide "channels for Israeli businesses and start-ups to export products," according to WAM.
Kazim envisioned a bright future for the new service, and expressed his gratitude to the state officials who made it possible.
"We are confident that our new services will have a positive impact on enhancing Israel's connectivity to a wealth of global destinations, and we thank the UAE and Israeli authorities for their ongoing support in making this service possible," he said.\
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
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