Arab News, Saturday, Jul 3, 2021 | Zul Qaadah 22, 1442
Israeli, UAE airlines announce cooperation deal
Emirates:
The UAE and Israeli flag-carriers
announced a codeshare cooperation deal on Thursday, the latest sign of deepening
ties between the two nations following September’s normalization of diplomatic
relations.
The move follows Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s visit to the UAE this
week to inaugurate the country’s first Gulf embassy in the Emirati capital Abu
Dhabi.
The airlines said in a statement they had “launched their joint codeshare
network and reciprocal loyalty agreement for frequent flyers.”
“This builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the airlines signed in
2020 following the Abraham Accords signed by the UAE and Israel,” it added.
Under the agreement, El Al will sell tickets and offer frequent flier points to
its members for the twice-weekly Etihad service between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv
from July 18.
Pending regulatory approval, Etihad will then begin to sell tickets for 14
routes operated by El Al as well as offering benefits to its frequent fliers.
“We are very pleased to be able to announce the launch of our codeshare and
frequent flyer partnership with El Al,” said Etihad chief executive Tony
Douglas.
From oil to tourism to cutting-edge technologies, the two countries hope to
benefit from an economic dividend following the normalization agreement.