El Al, Etihad sign MOU to explore cooperation

Following the recognition of Israel by the United Arab Emirates and the upcoming establishment of scheduled flights between the countries, flag carriers El Al Israel Airlines (LY, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion) and Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi Int’l) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore “deeper cooperation”. The two airlines said they would seek to establish a codeshare partnership covering flights between Tel Aviv Ben Gurion and Abu Dhabi Int’l, as well as services beyond the two hubs. The cooperation will also cover cargo, engineering, loyalty programmes, destination management, and the optimal use of pilot and cabin crew training facilities. Currently, neither Etihad nor El Al is a member of any global airline alliance. Etihad attempted to build its own equity-based group, Etihad Aviation Group, and despite the collapse of Air Berlin, Jet Airways and Darwin Airline, and the recent renationalisation of Alitalia, still holds stakes in Air Serbia and Air Seychelles. Etihad Airways plans to commence flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv on March 28, 2021. El Al has yet to announce its plans regarding flights to the UAE. The Israeli flag carrier operated the first-ever commercial flight between the two countries on August 31, 2020. Etihad Airways operated a cargo charter to Tel Aviv in May 2020, although there were no passengers on board and the payload was destined for the Palestinian Authority. Etihad’s first passenger charter to Israel was on October 19, 2020. flydubai is poised to become the first airline to offer scheduled flights between the UAE (Dubai Int’l) and Israel when it launches 2x daily flights on November 26, 2020. Arkia Israeli Airlines (IZ, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion) and Israir (6H, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion) both pledged to commence operations to the UAE by the end of 2020 but have yet to announce details.