In an unprecedented move since its establishment in 2003, Etihad Airways, owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, announced the launch of a regular air route operating six daily flights to “Israel”.
This marks the first time in the airline’s history that a single route exceeds five daily flights. It reflects the deepening ties between the United Arab Emirates and the Israeli occupation since the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020, advancing of any political or ethical considerations.
The route, which began operating on 15 June, is part of a wider network that includes destinations such as Bangkok, Riyadh, and Mumbai, and runs on a schedule of 42 flights per week.
The new service reflects growing demand for travel between the two sides and presents “Tel Aviv” as a routine destination among the busiest routes served by the UAE’s national carrier. In practical terms, this reduces the cost of the isolation that is supposed to be imposed on the occupying state.
Etihad’s station in “Israel”, managed by Ran Volk, is currently ranked fifth in terms of activity volume, following Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.
According to Volk, the decision to operate six daily flights specifically to Tel Aviv is an important precedent that reflects the company’s commitment to deepening air connectivity with the UAE and linking Israel to the world through Etihad’s global network.
Breaking the occupation’s isolation
Air traffic between the UAE and “Israel” has grown rapidly since direct flights began in 2020. The number of flights increased gradually, reaching up to 10 daily services during peak seasons in 2021, and at times rising to 14 direct flights per day.
Today, with Etihad adding six daily flights, the total number of direct daily services has exceeded a new record, particularly with the notable recovery in 2025. During this period:
More than 300,000 passengers travelled from “Israel” to Abu Dhabi on Etihad flights, with an average load factor close to 90%.
Around 30% of these passengers travelled to Abu Dhabi for holidays, while 70%continued onward through Etihad’s network to destinations further across Asia.
The expansion of air connectivity has significantly boosted travel and tourism flows between the two sides, albeit in an uneven manner. The UAE has quickly become one of the most important tourist destinations for Israelis. For example, reports and official data in early 2025 indicated that:
Dubai topped the list of winter destinations for Israelis, accounting for more than 10% of all flights departing from Ben Gurion Airport.
Within just ten months of 2022, more than 150,000 Israelis visited the UAE, compared with only about 1,600 Emiratis visiting “Israel” during the same period.
This stark imbalance shows that the tourism returns of normalisation primarily support the UAE’s tourism sector and economy. However, they also benefit the Israeli economy indirectly.
With increased travel volumes, revenues rose for Israeli airports and airlines such as El Al and Israir, alongside expanded activity for travel and tourism agencies on both sides.
The Israel Airports Authority reported that passenger traffic through Ben Gurion Airport rose by 33% in 2025 to reach 18.5 million passengers, compared with just 13.9 million in 2024 when traffic was affected by the war. UAE routes remained among the most prominent during this period.
Flights continue despite the assault
The boom in flights faced a severe test during the Israeli assault on Gaza from 2023 to 2025. Many global airlines, including Delta and Lufthansa, suspended or repeatedly halted their flights to “Israel”, leading to a sharp decline in international travel.
Passenger traffic through Ben Gurion Airport dropped by nearly half compared with the previous year. The striking contrast lay in the continuation of Emirati flights, which contributed to breaking “Israel’s” isolation and keeping it connected to the world by air during that period.
Both flydubai and Etihad Airways continued operating regular flights between Dubai or Abu Dhabi and “Tel Aviv”. This reflected how the UAE separated the path of normalisation from the cost of war on civilians in Gaza. Statistics indicate that flydubai:
Operated more than 1,800 flights to and from “Israel” since the start of the assault on Gaza in 2023.
Cancelled only 77 flights.
Operated more than 200 flights in September 2024 alone.
Etihad Airways also maintained its regular daily flights to “Tel Aviv” throughout the assault, alongside the Israeli carrier El Al, limiting its response to monitoring the security situation and adopting precautionary measures when necessary.
The Times of Israel confirmed that flights arriving from the UAE were almost the only ones that did not stop during the war, preserving a minimum level of air connectivity with “Tel Aviv” at the height of the crisis.
With the ceasefire coming into effect in October 2025, global airlines began gradually resuming flights to “Israel”. This translated into a sharp increase in passenger traffic during December of the same year, rising by 59% year on year.
Over the course of 2025 as a whole, Ben Gurion Airport recovered much of its activity, recording 18.5 million passengers, up 33% from 2024 but still below pre-war 2023 levels.
These figures illustrate the scale of the blow dealt to Israel’s aviation industry by the war, while also highlighting the central role played by Emirati airlines in bridging the gap of air isolation during the crisis. Through these routes, thousands of Israelis were able to travel for holidays or business despite everything.
Entrenching normalisation through aviation
The experience of recent years has shown that direct air routes have become among the most important bridges of normalisation between the UAE and “Israel”.
Despite regional turmoil and popular anger across the Arab world over the assault on Gaza, Abu Dhabi chose to press ahead with its partnership with “Israel”.
Rather than severing ties under pressure, official visits continued, flights remained in operation, and economic cooperation deepened.
Data indicates that trade exchange between the two sides grew at the height of the war. Bilateral trade reached around 3.2 billion dollars in 2024, an increase of 11% compared with the previous year, reflecting the expansion of mutual interests even during the most sensitive periods.
The UAE also maintained its diplomatic representation in “Tel Aviv” throughout the war, at a time when popular calls were being voiced to halt normalisation.
In this context, Dina Esfandiary, an adviser at the International Crisis Group, stated that the continuation of flights between the two sides during the war symbolised the UAE’s commitment to its relationship with “Israel” despite everything.
Bahraini analyst Ahmed Al Khazaei commented to The Times of Israel that the Abraham Accords proved more resilient than older peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, as they withstood the shock of October 2023 without the collapse of economic or popular ties between the UAE and Israel.
The decision by Etihad to increase its flights to “Tel Aviv” to six per day is therefore not merely an operational detail. It signals a phase in which the relationship is managed as a regular service, intensified and marketed in the language of demand and global connectivity, while the cost of aggression and occupation is pushed to the margins of the picture.
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