FlyDubai became the first airline offering commercial flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv in 2020 after Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement to normalize relations.

The new route meant that Israeli passengers could catch connecting flights in the Persian Gulf, rather than having to go via Europe, significantly cutting down on travel time.

FlyDubai operated the first scheduled commercial flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv in November 2020, after Israel and the Emirates signed the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, strengthening economic, political and security relations.

A low-cost carrier, FlyDubai initially offered two daily flights from Dubai International Airport to Tel Aviv and now operates up to 10. One of those flights made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after what passengers described as a midair altercation between the pilots, which the Israeli authorities were still investigating.

The airline, which began flying in 2009, is wholly owned by Dubai through the Investment Corporation of Dubai, the government’s main investment arm, which also owns Emirates Airlines.

All of the flights between Dubai and Israel travel through Saudi airspace. On Aug. 31, 2020, an El Al jet carrying American and Israeli officials flew to Abu Dhabi along nearly the whole length of Saudi Arabia, the first time Riyadh had allowed an Israeli passenger plane to cross its skies. Two days later, Saudi Arabia said flights from any country to and from the Emirates could fly over its territory, without naming Israel. Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Most FlyDubai flights fly out of Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 2. Passengers bound for Tel Aviv check in from the much larger Terminal 3, which has heightened security, and can add roughly an hour to the process.

Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi’s main carrier, added a sixth daily flight to Tel Aviv this summer, making the route its busiest weekly route worldwide.

Ismaeel Naar is an international reporter for The Times, covering the Gulf states. He is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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