Golf carrier Etihad Airways wrote a piece of aviation history on Tuesday with the first scheduled flight on the Abu Dhabi-Tel Aviv route. For the first time, the state carrier of the Emirates Abu Dhabi is on its way between the two countries. The diplomatic thaw is gradually leading to the establishment of ever more connections between the Gulf region and Tel Aviv.

But Etihad will not fly in monopoly for long, because Wizz Air Abu Dhabi also wants to operate this route. The state carrier concentrates on hub traffic, while the lowcoster aims to appeal to point-to-point travelers. Nevertheless, entry into Israel remains difficult due to the corona pandemic. It is expected that there will soon be easing between the United Arab Emirates and Israel due to high vaccination coverage.

In any case, Etihad Airways will initially commute between the two cities twice a week in April and May 2021. Depending on the further development of the pandemic, the frequency is to be increased to up to seven flights per week. For the time being, the golf carrier is using Boeing 787-9 machines, but the switch to Airbus A321 is planned.