Arab-Israel Normalisation

In the first of a series of blogs, focusing on the Middle East aviation market, OAG has published a study exploring how changes in diplomatic relations between Israel and its neighbours is generating new air services between the countries.

Signed in Washington in August 2020 after years of tension between the Jewish State and its neighbours, the ‘Abraham Accords’ – the agreements normalising ties between Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain appears to be paying dividends in terms of air travel services.

Prior to this, only Egypt and Jordan had direct air services to and from Israel out of the 15 countries surrounding Israel, located in North Africa and the Middle East.

By the end of 2020 – and despite the Covid-19 pandemic – three airlines, El Al, Flydubai and Israir had started new air services between Dubai and Israel.

Since then, the Dubai – Israel market has gone from strength to strength.

The three original carriers were joined in 2021 by Arkia Israeli Airlines, Emirates, Etihad and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, together offering more than 320,000 seats in each direction.

Bahrain, one of the original signatories to the agreement, also saw scheduled services to Israel start in 2021, with capacity building through the last few months of the year and ending with nine flights each way for the month of December operated by Gulf Air.

Air services between Morocco and Israel were also benefitting. Arkia Israeli Airlines, El Al, Israir and Royal Air Maroc all operated a handful of flights in the second half of 2021.

By December 2021 there were 18 air services operated by 13 airlines across seven routes between North Africa and Middle East countries to Israel.

Moving into 2022, OAG flight data shows these airlines and routes continuing, albeit with some chopping and changing of capacity. No doubt this is in part to right size capacity to what is a new market which is probably only just beginning to stabilise as countries emerge from pandemic-related travel restrictions.  

In March and April 2022 the Czech airline, SmartWings, entered the market with an operation between Dubai and Tel Aviv, while El Al has added Sharm El Sheikh as a destination.

www.oag.com

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