When Etihad Airways Flight 9607 landed Monday morning at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport, it was of paramount importance and became the first passenger advertising flight of an airline in the United Arab Emirates to land in Israel, according to the Associated Press.
The two-hour, 56-minute flight, which traveled from Abu Dhabi, is proof of strengthening relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel from the status quo of diplomatic relations in August.
The Abu Dhabi-based national airline continued its historic adventure later monday with a three-and-a-half-hour circular vacation to Abu Dhabi on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, this time with Israeli and tourism officials on board, Etihad said in a statement. calling it an “industry mission. ” These representatives will return home on October 21.
“Today’s flight is a historic opportunity for the progression of strong partnerships here in the United Arab Emirates and Israel, and Etihad, as a national airline, is very happy to lead the way,” His Excellency Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, president of Etihad Aviation Group, said in the press release. “We are beginning to explore the long-term prospects of these newly forged relationships, which will surely gain great advantages for the economies of both countries, that is, in the spaces of industry and tourism, and finally those who call it varied and wonderful. home in the area. “
In addition to flights, Etihad has also introduced a Hebrew-speaking online page for the Israeli market, making it the first non-Israeli airline in the Middle East to do so. The compromised online page will also be available in English.
Etihad tweeted Monday: “Today we are writing history. Etihad has become the first Gulf airline to operate a passenger flight to Israel. And that’s just the beginning . . . “This long term can potentially come with 28 inter-nation advertising flights, according to Al Jazeera, who reported that an official of the Ministry of Maritime Transport said an agreement could be signed on Tuesday.
All of this follows the signing of the AbrahamIc Agreements between the United Arab Emirates and Israel in Washington, DC, on 15 September.
Although this was the first passenger advertising flight, several other flights were carried out. An Al-chartered aircraft, considered a “first symbolic direct flight,” traveled from Israel to Abu Dhabi on August 31 with diplomats on board. Etihad’s shipping aircraft transported 14 tons of materials from Dubai to Israel to help fight COVID-19.