The first direct commercial carrier flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will take off Monday, Reuters reported.
The El Al Airlines flight will take off from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, and land in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi. On board will be an Israeli delegation, as well as aides to President Donald Trump who helped broker the break-through peace deal, including Jared Kushner, according to Reuters. The return flight is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, an El Al spokesman said, per Reuters.
The outbound flight is listed as “LY 971,” and the return “LY 972” in homage to the two countries’ respective country codes, Reuters reported.
The flight marks the next step in the two countries’ pursuit for peace after they signed a peace deal brokered by President Donald Trump. The deal seeks to normalize relations between Israel and the UAE through beginning negotiations for investment, tourism, and trade.
Joint Statement of the United States, the State of Israel, and the United Arab Emirates pic.twitter.com/oVyjLxf0jd
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2020
Upon announcement of the agreement, James Carafano, vice president for national security and foreign policy at the Heritage Foundation, told the Daily Caller, “this is the first time that the U.S. has brokered a deal on this scale in over a quarter of a century and it’s probably not the last. We’re probably going to see similar arrangements.” (RELATED: Kushner: ‘Very Good Chance’ More Israel Peace Deals Will Be Announced Before Election)
Whether or not the flight will be allowed to fly through Saudi Arabia’s airspace remains unknown due to the fact the Saudis and Israelis have no formal relationship, Reuters reported.