August 31, 2020
El Al Flies from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi
Historical context
On 31 August 2020, El Al flight LY971 made the first direct flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates.
Archive record
Read the event, then follow its documented sources and archive threads.
- Date
- August 31, 2020
- Verified sources
- 1
- Archive threads
- 4
On this day, an El Al airliner flew directly from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi. The BBC records the flight as LY971, carrying a delegation of Israeli and American officials, including Jared Kushner and Meir Ben-Shabbat. It was the first official flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates.
The two governments had announced on 13 August that they would normalize relations. The return flight was numbered LY972.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- Israel and UAE in historic direct flight following peace deal · BBC News · BBC News View source
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