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A UAE commercial airline flew its first publicly acknowledged direct flight from its capital Abu Dhabi to Israel on Tuesday, a milestone in relations between two Middle East nations with no formal diplomatic ties. Etihad Airways Flight 9607 landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport on Tuesday evening with 14 tons of medical aid for Palestinians to help cope with the coronavirus pandemic. While Israel and the UAE have cultivated deeper relations over the years, the Gulf nation doesn’t officially recognise Israel. The pandemic is creating fresh opportunities for Israel to strengthen its ties with its Arab neighbors, according to Israeli, Emirati and UN officials. “For the first time, an @etihad cargo plane just landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion airport!” Israel’s top diplomat at the U.N., Ambassador Danny Danon, wrote on Twitter. “Hopefully soon, we will see passenger flights, too. Having visited, I know the UAE is a fascinating place, and look to continue improving relations between our countries.”<br/>

Etihad Airways on Tuesday announced it would be laying off staff across its company. “The coronavirus pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to businesses around the world, and Etihad is no exception. It is clear the demand for travel in the near future will be significantly reduced and as a result we must make difficult decisions to ensure Etihad will weather this storm,” an Etihad spokesperson said. “We are incredibly proud of our world-class workforce, however, we have had to make redundancies across several areas of our business to reflect current market conditions.” The UAE’s flag carrier, and the country’s second-largest airline, did not specify the number of jobs to be cut or the areas which would see redundancies. Based in Abu Dhabi, the state-owned airline had 20,530 employees as of August 2019. It suspended all passenger operations in late March at the order of the UAE government, and in April announced it had begun to cut wages and make staff redundant. It has operated select repatriation flights since then, and announced this week that it would recommence certain routes beginning June 1. <br/>

Etihad Airways has entered a deal with Global Aerospace Logistics by which the airline’s staff will be seconded to GAL. The agreement covers an initial six-month period, and will cover Etihad staff in maintenance, operations, supply chain and commercial departments. GAL offers aircraft sustainment and servicing solutions for military and civilian clients. It is part of the cluster within EDGE, an advanced technology group for defence purposes that was launched in November. “Like airlines the world over, Etihad Airways is having to review its current structure and resources and this partnership allows us the opportunity to retain talent for the future; while supporting colleagues in another Abu Dhabi aviation organisation,” said Tony Douglas, CEO of Etihad Airways. The deal will also extend Etihad’s specialised career training and development. The agreement was initiated under the patronage of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Hamad Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Vice-Chairman of GAL and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC).<br/>