As airlines avoid Israel, UAE’s FlyDubai and Etihad keep up flights for both diplomacy and dollars

The Emirati flights, successful summation to bolstering the airlines’ bottommost line, person shined a airy connected the countries’ burgeoning ties — which person survived the wars raging crossed the Middle East and could beryllium further strengthened arsenic US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to instrumentality to office.

“It’s a governmental and economical statement,” said Joshua Teitelbaum, a prof of Middle Eastern studies astatine Israel’s Bar-Ilan University. “They are the main overseas airlines that proceed to fly.”

Since the wars began with Hamas’ archetypal Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught connected Israel, galore planetary airlines person halted, restarted and halted again their flights into Israel’s main gateway to the remainder of the world. The interest is existent for the carriers, who retrieve the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 implicit Ukraine 10 years agone and Iran shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 aft takeoff from Tehran successful 2020.

But FlyDubai, the sister hose to the long-haul bearer Emirates, has kept up aggregate flights regular and kept Israel connected to the wider satellite adjacent arsenic its different low-cost competitors person stopped flights. Abu Dhabi’s Etihad has continued its flights arsenic well.

While maintaining the formation docket remains politically important for the UAE aft its 2020 diplomatic designation of Israel, it besides provided a further changeable successful the limb for revenues — peculiarly for FlyDubai.

Since the wars started, planetary carriers specified arsenic Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc., Germany’s Lufthansa and different large airlines halted their flights. Some resumed, lone to halt again aft Iran’s Oct. 1 ballistic rocket onslaught connected Israel and Israel’s Oct. 26 retaliatory onslaught connected the Islamic Republic. Tehran has threatened to onslaught Israel again.

That’s brought large concern to Israel’s nationalist bearer El Al, which had struggled successful the coronavirus pandemic and anterior years. The hose posted its best-ever half-year results this year, signaling a $227 cardinal nett arsenic compared to $58 cardinal nett successful the aforesaid play past year. El Al banal has risen by arsenic overmuch 200% implicit the past year, arsenic compared to a 29% emergence successful the wider Tel Aviv 125 stock market index.

El Al, however, lacks the routes and connections of large planetary carriers. Low-cost carriers arsenic good person stopped flying into Israel during periods of the war, sending the terms of El Al tickets ever higher. Passenger numbers done Ben Gurion halved compared to the aforesaid play the twelvemonth before, El Al said successful its second-quarter fiscal results.

However, FlyDubai has kept flying. The bearer has operated implicit 1,800 flights to Israel since October past year, cancelling lone 77 flights overall, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. In September alone, it flew implicit 200 flights.

As a enactment snaked toward the FlyDubai check-in counters astatine Ben Gurion Airport, UAE-bound Motti Eis said the flights were “a awesome that the Emirates countries decided to support the peace.”

FlyDubai declined to reply questions from The Associated Press astir the flights.

Etihad, the emblem bearer for Abu Dhabi, has kept flying into Tel Aviv, but the fig of its flights has been dwarfed by FlyDubai. FlyDubai had 3.6% marketplace stock astatine Ben Gurion, compared to El Al’s 43.2% successful the 2nd fractional of 2024. However, astatine slightest 2 of the overseas low-cost airlines with greater market, Wizz Air and Blue Bird, stopped flying for extended periods this year.

Etihad said it maintains a adjacent ticker connected the concern successful the region, but continues its regular flights to and from Tel Aviv.

“Ben Gurion International Airport remains open, employing champion practices successful information and information practices, enabling Etihad and different airlines to supply indispensable aerial connectivity arsenic agelong arsenic it is unafraid to bash so,” the hose said successful a statement.

But beyond the fiscal impact, the determination besides takes basal successful the UAE’s determination to admit Israel successful 2020, nether agreements brokered by past President Trump known arsenic the Abraham Accords. While Abu Dhabi has repeatedly expressed interest and outrage arsenic Israel’s behaviour during the wars, Israel’s Consulate successful Dubai and Embassy stay unfastened successful the country.

And portion Dubai broadly speaking remains focused connected concern successful the country, Abu Dhabi’s absorption agelong has been connected its geopolitical aims — which since the 2011 Arab Spring person been squarely focused connected challenging Islamist movements, and those who backmost them, successful the wider region. The UAE, a hereditary autocracy, agelong has viewed those groups arsenic superior challenges to its power.

The Emirati government, successful effect to questions from the AP implicit the flights, sent a communicative published by its state-run WAM quality bureau astir its information successful a Nov. 1 league successful Riyadh successful enactment of a two-state solution to the decadeslong Israel-Palestinian crisis. The UAE has called repeatedly for a cease-fire successful the Gaza Strip, on with the merchandise of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

However, apt fixed the wider choler successful the Arab satellite implicit Israel’s devastating militant run successful Gaza, Dubai International Airport nary longer advertises connected its physics billboard the determination of the check-in for Tel Aviv. It sits successful a distant country of 1 of the airport’s terminals, adjacent to a Dubai constabulary stand. Private information guards besides support ticker implicit the line, portion individuals who appeared to beryllium undercover constabulary officers watched the gate, a higher level of information than usually noticed astatine the airport.

But successful the lines, Hebrew and Arabic tin beryllium heard and those traveling routinely person their blue-backed Israeli passports retired successful their hands.

“It’s conscionable a awesome of the UAE’s committedness to the relationship,” said Dina Esfandiary, a elder advisor connected the Middle East astatine the International Crisis Group, a deliberation tank. “No substance what happens, nary substance wherever the warfare goes, nary substance however overmuch Israel flouts planetary law, the UAE has decided that this is simply a measurement they took, that the narration remains beneficial to them.”