The website is an encouraging gesture and demonstrates that the Abu Dhabi-based airline plans to capture a major slice of the Israeli market.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has launched a Hebrew website even before it commences direct flights between the UAE and Israel. “Welcome from Abu Dhabi,” site users are greeted in Hebrew on entering the website. The site is an encouraging gesture and demonstrates Etihad Airway’s plans to capture a major share of the Israeli market. It can be assumed that as soon as Israel and the UAE sign an aviation agreement, the airline will begin direct flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi.

Etihad Airways ambitions in the Israeli market extend far beyond direct flights between the two countries. The airline will offer connection flights from Abu Dhabi to a range of destinations in Southeast Asia and Australia.

Etihad Airways is one of the world’s most acclaimed carriers especially for first and business class travelers. The airline has a fleet of 100 planes with an average age of less than six years old and in 2019 flew 17.5 million passengers with an average of 79% occupancy on flights. Etihad flies to 84 destinations in 55 countries.

Next week an Etihad Airways flight will land at Ben Gurion airport to take a delegation of Israeli tourist industry representatives to Abu Dhabi. In June an Etihad Airways plane flew to Israel to bring medical equipment for the Palestinians. Earlier this week a scheduled Etihad Airways flight between Milan and Abu Dhabi became the first-ever UAE plane to fly over Israeli airspace.

Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on October 16, 2020