The first commercial flight from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) arrived in Israel on Monday following a normalization deal inked last month between the two countries.
PLANE WELCOMED WITH CEREMONY
The Etihad Airways plane carrying 58 passengers, including business people, tourism professionals and journalists, landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
The plane, which was welcomed with a ceremony at the airport, left back for Abu Dhabi later in the day.
An Etihad Airways plane flew above Israeli skies for the first time last week, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry.
The two countries are expected to launch a direct commercial aviation line at the beginning of 2021, according to Israeli media.
The first Emirati ship loaded with goods, including iron, firefighting, cleaning and electronic equipment, arrived at Israel’s Haifa Port on Oct. 12.