Concurrently, Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain also signed an agreement to launch full diplomatic relations a month later.
Following the agreements, the Israel Transportation Ministry announced that an aviation agreement has been signed with Jordan that will allow flights from the UAE and Bahrain to fly through to Israeli airspace. In the near future, flights of UAE and Bahraini airlines, as well as any international carrier, will be able to fly over Israel to destinations in Europe and North America and back.
This new aviation agreement, facilitated by Brussels-based European air traffic control agency EUROCONTROL, will significantly cut flight times on some routes to the Gulf countries, Asia and the Far East, Europe, and America. This will lead to fuel savings, a reduction in pollution and making a positive contribution to the environment. It is hoped that regular and direct flights between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain will soon be in operation, thereby boosting tourism opportunities throughout the Middle East.
“This is a welcome change, not only for the citizens of Israel, the UAE and Bahrain, but also for India and the rest of the world. As a result of the Abraham Accords, the Israel Transportation Ministry announced that there will be 28 direct weekly passenger flights connecting Tel Aviv with Abu Dhabi and Dubai.India has always had close ties with the Middle Eastern nations, including Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Many Indians live and work there. With the new airline routes connecting Israel to the UAE, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the rest of the world, the tourism landscape is drastically changing. With all the new developments, I am excited to see how this will impact tourism to Israel from India,” says director of tourism – India & Philippines, Sammy Yahia.
On November 9, 2020, seven weeks after the agreements; WTM Virtual hosted an encounter – a panel discussion among tourism ministers from the three destinations. Ministers in charge of tourism from Israel, UAE and Bahrain came together, for the first time, on a virtual stage. They discussed the opportunities available now to determine the role that tourism will play in helping to secure long-standing peace in the region.
