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Red Sea Redux
One of the most visible benefits of the 2020 Abraham Accords was the opening of Saudi and Omani airspace to Israeli airlines. This unlocked a huge latent market for Israel. Traffic between Tel Aviv and Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Manama (Bahrain) peaked at as many as 200 weekly flights. But also critical was the opening of a shortcut across Arabia to India and Southeast Asia. Bangkok flights were reduced by 2.5 hours compared to the pre-existing route down the Red Sea and Gulf
Steve Jaffe
1 day ago4 min read


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 Saudis poured cold water over the whole thing, insisting that the move had nothing whatsoever to do with any kind of incremental normalization steps with Israel, the effect is the same. Direct routing over Saudi Arabia can save up to 3 hours (Alex Macheras) What are the benefits? In a word, significantly shorter flight times that present a w
Steve Jaffe
Jul 20, 20225 min read


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 26, 20223 min read


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 19, 20223 min read


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
Jun 2, 20223 min read


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 29, 20213 min read


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
Jul 7, 20213 min read


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
Jun 1, 20214 min read


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 7, 20203 min read


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
Dec 1, 20207 min read


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 26, 20203 min read


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 18, 20204 min read


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 5, 20203 min read


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 2, 20202 min read


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
Nov 1, 20202 min read


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 29, 20204 min read


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 28, 20202 min read


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 27, 20203 min read


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 26, 20202 min read


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
Oct 25, 20203 min read
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