Following the recent peace agreement signed between Israel and the UAE, the two countries have permitted airlines to operate nonstop flights between the two countries from the end of November, 2020.

Originally, the two countries agreed to allow up to 28 weekly flights between Tel Aviv and both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This number has since been increased to up to 112 weekly flights.

Which Airlines Are Flying?

As of November 28th, five airlines have scheduled and begun selling tickets on commercial nonstop flights between Tel Aviv and Dubai: Arkia, Israir, FlyDubai, ELAL and Etihad.  Oddly, Emirates has yet to announce if and when they will operate nonstop flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv.

Summary of Available Flights and Schedules

• 

FlyDubai

FlyDubai, a low cost carrier based in Dubai will be the first UAE based airline to operate regular passenger flights to Tel Aviv.  They will be flying three Boeing 737s daily, offering both economy and business class.  Economy class offers three fare types: Lite, Value, and Flex:

• 

Business class fares include a 40kg checked bag, food, seat selection, and free changes.

• 

The business class seats themselves are regular recliner seats found on many single aisle aircraft in business class.  A few years ago, I was among the first people to tour FlyDubai’s new 737 Max aircraft which features lie flat seats in business class and will hopefully be flying to Tel Aviv soon!

• 

• 

Booking With Miles

FlyDubai uses the same frequent flyer program as Emirates, “Skywards.” Mileage rates for economy start at about 22,000 one way + $40 to $50 in taxes and fees, while in business class the rates are well over 100,000 miles per direction. Personally I would not redeem miles for this flight.

• 

Arkia

Arkia will operate its once daily flight using an Airbus A321 Neo, offering only economy class. 

• 

Israir

Israir will operate all flights using an Airbus A320 jet with an all economy class configuration.

• 

One of Israir’s aircraft (and possibly more to come) have two rows of business class style seats at the front of the aircraft which can be reserved for $80, however don’t include any extra service. 

Strangely, Israir does not offer customers to purchase baggage at time of booking, it can only be done later on the website at a cost of $35 which is reasonable.

• 

Unfortunately, my experience overall flying to Dubai with Israir was quite poor and I will not be booking another flight with them other than to try their new business class style seats.

ELAL

ELAL will operate its first flight from Tel Aviv to Dubai on December 13th, 2020 with up to 3 daily nonstop flights in each direction. ELAL is offering the lowest fares of all full service airlines currently selling tickets and is the first to offer a premium economy product on its Dreamliner flights which operate 6x weekly. The remaining flights will be operated by Boeing 737s.

ELAL’s Dreamliner is without a doubt the most comfortable way to fly commercially between both cities in all cabins! I had a great experience returning from Dubai on the Dreamliner.

• 

Emirates

• 

Emirates has unofficially announced it will begin operating direct flights to Tel Aviv from February 15th, 2021 using a Boeing 777 aircraft. Tickets aren’t yet on sale.

Etihad Airways

• 

Etihad will begin flights to Tel Aviv from March 28th, 2021 using a two class Airbus A321 aircraft. I expected Etihad to operate one of its Boeing 787’s to Tel Aviv which feature lie flat business class seats, one of my favorites.

• 

• 

• 

Instead, business class on this aircraft will feature only 8 recliner seats which are comfortable as well, but a massive step below Etihad’s 787 business class product.

• 

Wizz Air

Wizz has begun selling tickets between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi (AUH) beginning February 12th. While they are offering the lowest fares at the moment (about $150 round trip), this is a no frills fare which only includes a seat and small carry on bag.

• 

Wizz offers two higher priced fares which include baggage, seat selection, and other amenities.

• 

Conditions for Israelis to Enter Dubai

While the full visa free travel for Israelis to the UAE is not yet finalized, Israelis can still enter Dubai as regular tourists by completing a visa application in advance and paying the $95 fee.

It is my understanding as well that Israelis may apply for the visa at Dubai airport at a cost of $110, but we have not been able to confirm this.

Beginning in February, Israelis likely won’t need to apply for a visa anymore.

UAE Covid-19 Considerations

For the most up to date Covid-19 information for entry and exit from Dubai, see the following link.

• 

TLV to DXB

All passengers will be required to take two COVID-19 PCR tests: one no more than 96 hours prior to the departure of your inbound flight to Dubai and the second on arrival in Dubai.

Upon arrival into Dubai, travelers will be required to quarantine in their Dubai hotels until they receive results from the Covid-19 PCR test.

In Tel Aviv, Covid – 19 PCR tests can be done at Ichilov hospital with an appointment in advance which can be done at this link (Hebrew only).

• 

• 

You will receive a discount by showing a confirmed ticket on Lufthansa Group airlines (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, or Brussels Airlines) or your Miles and More frequent flyer card.

More information on that here.

• 

DXB to TLV

Because the UAE is considered a green country, no quarantine is required upon arrival back into Tel Aviv, nor is it required to get a PCR test done in Dubai before the return flight.

• 

Update 30/12/20: With the recent lockdown in Israel, all incoming passengers (including those returning from the UAE) will be required to quarantine in state run hotels for up to 14 days.

Bottom Line

Dubai has been and will continue to be the top vacation spot for Israelis this winter, offering warm weather, no upon entry, and frequent, reasonably priced airfare. 

We will continue to update this article as we receive more information regarding flights between Tel Aviv and the UAE.