Freedom at Last -- the opening of Saudi airspace for Israeli and foreign airlines
Finally -- and officially -- it's here! Saudi overflight rights are a huge breakthrough for the Israeli aviation market. And while the...
Our Latest Posts
Steve Jaffe
- Jun 26
- 3 min
Hail Emirates -- Whither El Al?
The long-awaited and highly anticipated arrival of Emirates in Tel Aviv last Thursday was the crowning aviation achievement of the 2020...
Steve Jaffe
- Jun 19
- 3 min
First to Fly – El Al and the Dawn of Commercial Twin-Engine Oceanic Flights
Ask any self-respecting airline geek which airline was the first to introduce commercial trans-Atlantic commercial twin-engine services,...
Steve Jaffe
- Jun 2
- 3 min
Reverse Exodus -- Israelis Flock to Egypt with New Flight Options
The throngs of Israelis backed up in a nine-hour wait to transit the Taba border crossing from Israel into Egyptian Sinai on the week of...
Steve Jaffe
- Jul 29, 2021
- 3 min
Up, Over, and Around -- Recent Flight Activity of Note
A quick look at some random but noteworthy flights and trends in and around Israel. Enjoy the ride. A rare El Al flight from TLV to DEL,...
Steve Jaffe
- Jul 7, 2021
- 3 min
The Israelis are coming! Are the expectations for the Israel-Morocco travel boom sustainable?
In another demonstration of the tangible benefits of the Abraham Accords, El Al and Israir will both commence regularly scheduled flights...
Steve Jaffe
- Jun 1, 2021
- 4 min
After the Rockets Stopped Falling – the Gaza conflict and its impact on Israeli commercial aviation
In many ways, the recent Gaza Conflict that raged from May 10 – 21 was just the latest battle in a long-running war between Israel and...
Steve Jaffe
- Dec 7, 2020
- 3 min
The Metamorphosis of Gulf Air
Last week El Al and Gulf Air jointly announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to seek opportunities for...
Steve Jaffe
- Dec 1, 2020
- 7 min
Is Dubai the pot of gold – or just the end of the road -- for El Al?
The new air service between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain represents a potential breakthrough moment for Israeli national carrier El Al....
Steve Jaffe
- Nov 26, 2020
- 3 min
The (not so) little airline that could -- a profile of Flydubai
In case you missed it, Flydubai’s arrival today at Ben Gurion Airport marked the first scheduled passenger flight on the newly...
Steve Jaffe
- Nov 18, 2020
- 4 min
Sudan, Tigray, and the importance of strategic airspace redundancy
On Sunday, November 8, El Al flight 5057 flew over Sudan en route from Tel Aviv (TLV) to Entebbe (EBB). The 737-900, which was heading...
Steve Jaffe
- Nov 5, 2020
- 3 min
FlyDubai to be first airline to serve Dubai-Tel Aviv route
flyDubai has announced that it will start service between its home base and Tel Aviv on November 26. With this remarkably fast startup,...
Steve Jaffe
- Nov 2, 2020
- 2 min
Israeli skies starting to fill with transit flights
In another historic breakthrough for Israeli aviation, an Etihad 787-10 enroute from Milan (MXP) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) became the first...
Steve Jaffe
- Nov 1, 2020
- 2 min
Hebrew language website and kosher food – UAE welcome Israeli travelers
The Emerati travel and tourism industry is putting its full resources into building the marketing and hospitality infrastructure to...
Steve Jaffe
- Oct 29, 2020
- 4 min
New Middle East airspace agreements – what they are and why they matter
Easily overlooked in the wake of the recent breathtaking pace of Arab-Israeli normalization developments are a series of highly...
Steve Jaffe
- Oct 28, 2020
- 2 min
Israeli delegation lands in Bahrain
An El Al 737-900ER transported a team of high-level U.S. and Israeli officials to Manama on October 18 for the signing of significant...
Steve Jaffe
- Oct 27, 2020
- 3 min
Israel signs air service agreements with UAE and Bahrain
Just weeks after signing the historic normalization agreements with the UAE and Bahrain, Israel has concluded air service agreements with...
Steve Jaffe
- Oct 26, 2020
- 2 min
First passenger flight from UAE arrives in Israel
In another historic first for Israeli civil aviation, an Etihad 787-9 touched down at Ben Gurion Airport early Sunday morning, October...
Steve Jaffe
- Oct 25, 2020
- 3 min
El Al lands in Abu Dhabi – breaks two new barriers on historic flight
August 31, 2020 marked an historic day for aviation in Israel. El Al flight 971, a Boeing 737-900ER arrived in Abu Dhabi from Tel Aviv at...
Steve Jaffe
- Apr 26, 2020
- 4 min
The New Middle-East Super Connector?
For a brief, shining moment over the past few weeks, the El Al route map expanded to nine new cities on world-girdling routes throughout...
Steve Jaffe
- Apr 12, 2020
- 3 min
Israeli diplomatic breakthroughs start to bear tangible aeropolitical results
On March 16, the Jerusalem Post reported that Sudan had authorized direct flights to Israel to overfly its territory. The announcement...
Steve Jaffe
- Dec 1, 2019
- 2 min
The Kangaroo Route on a Single Hop. El Al to test non-stop flights between Tel Aviv and Melbourne
In a surprise move, El Al announced during its third quarter earnings call on November 26th that it would conduct test flights between Tel A
Steve Jaffe
- Aug 4, 2019
- 4 min
Ten New Breakthrough Routes to Israel
New air service to Israel from far-flung places continues -- some are pure business routes -- others leisure destinations, and a few...
Steve Jaffe
- Apr 14, 2019
- 1 min
The ultimate in ultra-long haul flying (and you thought your flight was long!)
For a brief, shining moment, Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport took the mantle (by far) for the world's longest flight. I we mean really...
Steve Jaffe
- Feb 3, 2019
- 2 min
Latin flavor adds spice to the Israeli aviation market
Since the 1960s, El Al had interest in flying to Buenos Aires, but its plans never came to fruition, partly due to the circuitous routing...
Steve Jaffe
- Jan 31, 2019
- 3 min
Asian airlines play catch-up in Israeli market
For decades, Israel was terra incognita on the route maps of Asian airlines. Based in a region with historically less-developed...
Steve Jaffe
- Jan 27, 2019
- 3 min
Israel in Africa -- an Airline Saga
Israel is on the cusp of some major airspace access breakthroughs – to the east over the Arabian Peninsula, and to the south and west...
Steve Jaffe
- Jan 27, 2019
- 5 min
East of Eden -- Seven decades of blockade-busting airlines connecting Israel with Far East
It’s well after midnight. A thick layer of humidity blankets suburban Tel Aviv on this sultry July night in 1979. At Ben Gurion...
Steve Jaffe
- Jan 15, 2019
- 1 min
Southern Exposure -- Eilat's Ramon International Airport Opens
The opening of the brand new Ramon International Airport north of Eilat brings a state-of-the-art travel experience for sun-seeking...