First Israel-UAE direct commercial flight takes off

The first official Israeli flight to the United Arab Emirates took off on Monday from Tel Aviv, carrying US and Israeli delegates to talks on cementing an Israel-UAE normalisation deal brokered by Washington.

Saudi Arabia, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, has given permission for the El Al Airlines Boeing 737 to fly over its territory en route to the UAE’s capital of Abu Dhabi, a source familiar with the flight plan said.