The first scheduled commercial flight operated by flydubai from Dubai International, DXB, landed at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport, TLV, on Thursday, 26 November, to a water salute. The inaugural flight was flown by Captain Patrick Gonzenbach and Emirati First Officer, Abdulla Al Shamsi.

On board the aircraft was a delegation led by Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer, flydubai. They were met on arrival by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with a delegation that included the CEO of Ben Gurion International Airport Shmuel Zakay and representatives from the aviation industry.

Ghaith Al Ghaith said: “Today’s inaugural flight sees the air transport agreement realised. The creation of these direct air links will support the development of commercial ventures across a number of sectors helping to drive success and prosperity. We look forward to welcoming the first passengers from Israel as they come to explore the UAE.”

Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce, said, “Since we announced the launch of operations to Tel Aviv we have seen strong demand for services from both Israel and the UAE. We received our first bookings from both tourists and business travellers shortly after the schedule was published. There is opportunity to further grow our double daily service.”

Its extended codeshare partnership with Emirates offers travellers more seamless connections through Dubai’s international aviation hub to 155 destinations between both the Emirates and flydubai networks including Australia, China, Indian Ocean, Japan, South Asia and the United States.

flydubai offers convenient and reliable travel services. Passengers will have the option to experience Business Class enjoying space and privacy in the cabin, a comfortable spacious seat, inflight entertainment with films and TV shows available to watch and a range of dining options. Kosher meals are available to pre-order. Passengers will also benefit from a priority check-in service at Terminal 3, Dubai International.

Passengers travelling in Economy Class will enjoy a Recaro designed seat offering optimal levels of space and comfort in the air during the less than four-hour flight. flydubai continues to roll-out WiFi across its fleet enabling passengers to stay connected during their flight and can browse the web, send emails, use social networks and get the latest news. Passengers are able to choose between bundled, Flex/Value, or unbundled, Lite, fares depending on their travel needs.