Etihad Airways has operated a commercial passenger flight from Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv, which it claims is the first such service from a Gulf state to Israel. Etihad Airways’ flight EY9607, flown with a Boeing 787-10 (A6-BMH), landed on Tel Aviv’s runway 12 at about 07:00 on 19 October. The airline is billing the service as a travel trade mission. Its 787 will depart to Abu Dhabi after a couple of hours and return to Tel Aviv on 21 October, says Etihad. The carrier, which recently operated a Milan-Abu Dhabi service through Israeli airspace, has recently opened a section of its website in the Hebrew language. All of the steps follow the normalisation of diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, out of which is likely to emerge an air services agreement. “We are just starting to explore the long-term potential of these newly forged relationships, which will be sure to greatly benefit the economies of both nations, particularly in the areas of trade and tourism,” says Etihad Aviation Group chairman Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei. Etihad says the 787 flight – which is being conducted in partnership with Israeli transport handling specialist Maman Group – is scheduled to “bring Israel’s top travel and tourism leaders” to the UAE, at the invitation of Abu Dhabi’s tourism industry.<br/>