An Emirati flight leaving Milan, Italy, has travelled through Israeli airspace for the first time ever on its way to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE); This follows the recent agreement between Israel and Jordan to allow international flights in both respective airspaces.
For the first time ever, an Emirati flight has made its way through Israeli airspace following the normalization of ties between Israel and the UAE, as well as the recent air agreement between Israel and Jordan that allows for international flights that fly over one country to also pass through the other, significantly reducing flight times in the region.
Etihad EY88 departed Milan, Italy, at 2:23 PM on Wednesday, and arrived in Abu Dhabi, UAE, at 10:02 PM.
Israeli air traffic control workers greeted the pilots, stating, “Captain, we are thrilled and honored to welcome you to overfly Israel. This is a historic moment we have all been waiting for. We hope it will inspire the whole region and mark the beginning of a new era, inshallah.” The pilot responded, “Inshallah, thank you, the honor is ours.”
“Inshallah is Arabic for “god willing.”
It’s worth noting that this new reality is a major hit to the Arab world’s boycott on the Jewish State. Agreements and deals were the first steps into this shift in the Middle East, but now, everything is beginning to come to fruition. Indeed, this is a hard pill to swallow for the instigators in the region.
