First flight from Dubai to Israel

Dubai – Budget airline flydubai yesterday launched direct fl ights to Tel Aviv, the first scheduled commercial service between the two cities, following the normalisation of ties between the UAE and Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be on hand for the arrival of the inaugural fl ight after its nearly four-hour trip.

The UAE in September signed a landmark US-brokered deal to formalise relations with Israel, the first such agreement by an Arab state in the Gulf.