Just a few months ago, Israelis were not able to visit the UAE.
Now, 3 Israeli airlines will fly nonstop from Tel Aviv to Dubai!
The UAE is a “green” country, so Israelis can fly there without needing to quarantine there or on the return. That’s likely to make flights there an immediate success.
Israel is still not admitting foreign citizens, so I’d imagine that Emirates and Etihad may wait until that ban is lifted before starting service.
- El Al plans to launch twice daily service to Dubai beginning on November 30th. El Al flights are not yet on sale.
- Israir plans to fly a daily A320 to Dubai beginning on December 2nd:
A sample flight costs $339 round-trip:
- Arkia plans to fly a daily Embraer 195 to Dubai starting on December 11th:
A sample flight costs 315 Euros or about $367 round-trip.
El Al’s equipment choice, as reported by Itay Blumental, is perhaps the most interesting:
https://twitter.com/ItayBlumental/status/1321775764283547650
They plan to launch the route with aircraft 4X-EHD, a 737-900, and aircraft 4X-EDH, a 787-9.
Bizarrely, El Al flight number 971 from Tel Aviv to Dubai on November 30th, the inaugural El Al passenger flight to the UAE, is scheduled to be operated by the narrowbody 737 instead of the widebody 787.
Then again, we were told previously that El Al couldn’t fly the 787 to Dubai due to the lack of the Sky Shield missile defense system. El Al blamed Boeing for the lack of Sky Shield on the 787s.
It seems unlikely that El Al was able to get Sky Shield added to a 787 so quickly, but I suppose it’s possible. Otherwise, I guess they’re just going to fly the route without it?
Of course everything is still subject to change until it actually happens, so it should be an interesting story to follow.
Will you fly from Tel Aviv to Dubai?
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17 Comments On "El Al, Arkia, And Israir Schedule Nonstop Flights Between Tel Aviv And Dubai! Will El Al Fly Their Dreamliner?"
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I’m definitely considering putting an option on LY tickets when they become available. And then buying a separate set of tickets from there to MLE
Not a bad routing at all, especially if LY winds up flying the 787 to Dubai.
Shortly after we live in Israel, absolutely.
guess it will be a major event in the airport the first flight to dubai…even more than first cathay etc…
LY is not a Government entity.
Ultimately they will have to align the aircraft used with the market. If loads are below 150 it is unlikely they would use a 787. Revenue pays the bills, image does not pay bills.
I’m actually hoping to meet my child whose in Israel in Dubai…it seems like a great option since Israel won’t let me in and people returning to Israel don’t need to quarantine. Most Americans can fly one stop to DXB (I can fly via London or Frankfurt), it’s now a short, direct hop from Israel and the hotels are insanely nice and very cheap compared to other locations. It seems like a great option (and an actual fun vacation) for people who otherwise can’t see family in Israel.
@Denverite
“hotels are insanely nice and very cheap”.
which hotels are you referring to?
If you just want a “normal” hotel room, you can get like a Hilton Garden Inn or Four Points Sheraton for around $40 a night. Thanks to @Dan and DDF, I’m now a total hotel snob though so I’ve booked luxury hotels. 🙂 Habtoor Hospitality is offering kosher food in its UAE hotels and since I have Marriott & Hilton status, I’ve book their hotels in this hospitality group. The Habtoor Palace (now a LXR hotel part of Hilton, formerly the St. Regis) is a stunning luxury property, with included butler service and free access and transportation to the Waldorf Astoria private beach, for like $170 a night or 48k HHonors. The Habtoor Grand (part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection) is a beachfront resort and rooms are around $140 a night. The JW Marriott Marquis (near Chabad) is only about $100 a night. You can obviously book with points but both those Marriott hotels are 60k points a night and horrific redemptions. The Atlantis, The Palm resort (owned by Sol Kerzner) has a massive, insanely cool included waterpark, aquarium and beachfront for like $250 a night. All these prices are over Hannukah, obviously they will differ by date…good luck!
So can I fly from switzerland to Dubai, where I’ve been for a long time with an Israeli passport and then take an el al flight back to Tel Aviv without quarantining and any testing requirements? What is the best way from switzerland to enter israel without needing to quarantine, as now even less countries in the green list.
Why arent they flying also to Abu Dhabi ???
Because right now only Dubai is allowing foreigners into their airport (with a negative Covid PCR test within 96 hours). Abu Dhabi is allowing entry but only via land routes and their requirements are stricter.
Here is the info on the American embassy website:
https://ae.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/covid-19-information/
@Denverite
thank you very much for all that detailed info.
we will definitely consider all those options.
my daughter was asking me about staying in the Burj Khalifa because she wants to brag to her friends about staying in the tallest building in the world! i do believe the kosher restaurant that just opened is in the Burj Khalifa. Thank you again
The Burj Khalifa is where the kosher restaurant is located. My B and SIL stayed at that Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa and totally loved it. They loved the unique experience in the tallest building and said the service was impeccable. I’d rather spend my money at the Atlantis (the Armani was running about $350 a night for the days I was checking) but they definitely highly recommended it.
Bein hazmanim vacations? sure
Only question is do you wear the under armor hat and pretend that no one knows you’re Jewish.
Or just wear the yami
that is actually an excellent question can anyone comment if its safe to walk freely with my yarmulka and tzitzis in Dubai and Abu dhabi?
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/what-ive-learned-about-emirati-culture-as-the-chief-rabbis-wife/
According to the Rebbetzin, it’s totally safe and comfortable to walk around openly Jewish and she specifically mentions her sons wearing their kippas and tzitzit 🙂
How long is the flight?