Update, 3/15: Emirates announced today that they now plan on starting nonstop daily service between Dubai and Tel Aviv on June 23rd. Flights will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER with 8 closed first class suites in a 1-2-1 configuration, 42 business class seats in a 2-3-2 configuration, and 310 economy seats in a 3-4-3 configuration. A business class seat on the inaugural flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv is available for 45,000 miles+$205 or $1,451. Unfortunately it appears that the plan to operate an A380 for the inaugural flight has been scrapped.
Update, 11/28: Emirates is delaying this route launch until further notice due to Israel’s latest travel ban. Hopefully the A380 will make it to Israel one day…
Update, 11/18: Israel media is now reporting that Emirates now plans to operate the inaugural flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv and back on December 6th on an A380 double decker jumbo!
As far as I know, this will be the first ever A380 to fly to the holy land!
The flight is sold out in first class, but is available in coach and business class.
Flight booking sites are still showing the flight operated by a 777-300ER. Emirates’ flagship A380 has 14 first class seats, so if and when that switches over, we may see 6 more first class seats go up for sale in each direction.
I reviewed the Emirates A380 First (Shower) class here.
Will you fly on the first ever A380 flight into or out of Israel?
Originally posted on 11/4/21:
Emirates announced today that they will begin flying nonstop daily flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv on December 6th. Flights will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER with 8 closed first class suites in a 1-2-1 configuration, 42 business class seats in a 2-3-2 configuration, and 310 economy seats in a 3-4-3 configuration.
While the 777 doesn’t have the A380 onboard showers that I have raved about, it does feature Emirates’ fantastic first class suites and you’ll have access to Emirates awesome first class lounge in Dubai. The only other airline with first class service into Tel Aviv is British Airways, and their first class is more like business class than first…
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The flight will depart Dubai at 2:50pm and arrive in Tel Aviv at 4:25pm. The plane will spend 2 hours on the ground and then return from Tel Aviv at 6:25pm and arrive into Dubai at 11:25pm.
Competition on the 3.5 hour route is fierce with El Al flying up to 3 daily flights, Arkia flying up to 2 daily flights, FlyDubai flying up to 4 daily flights, and Israir flying up to 4 daily flights.
It’s a strange route for Emirates as state owned budget airline FlyDubai and state owned Emirates typically don’t overlap on the same routes. We’ll have to see how this one shakes out once Israel fully reopens, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see this change into an Emirates only route, with multiple daily departures dumping a ton of capacity into the Israel market.
While you can book a flight from the US to Tel Aviv via Dubai on Emirates, it would add a lot of flying time compared to flying nonstop or with a European connection. However if you want to stopover in Dubai for a day or 2, then that routing would be far more logical.
Emirates also opens up lots routes with a more logical connection point to Asia, India, Australia, and the Maldives.
You can read my 2017 trip notes from a layover in Abu Dhabi and Dubai here. Of course since last year’s Abraham Accords the scene on the ground has changed and several kosher restaurants now operate in the UAE.
Emirates also serves the best mehadrin kosher food in the sky, catered fresh by the Kosher Arabia kitchen in Dubai. Here are pictures from DDF member mijo on his business class flight from Dubai to Johannesburg:
I was not yet able to price out awards on Emirates flights to Tel Aviv, but will update this post when that is added.
Will you fly Emirates to Israel?
I will not fly an arab airline.
Your loss.
Thy have no problems landing in a hostile county.
One of the best CS on any airline I’ve ever experienced. I’m not religious though not sure how that would’ve impacted my experience.
I had top notch treatment on Emirates and indeed throughout the UAE.
Award seats are wide open now.
But no issues flying on crusader’s airlines?
Those airlines don’t exist anymore. The modern day airlines are unaffiliated with the crusaders. Even the app RobinHood is just using his name, they having nothing to do with the crusader.
The Emirates Skywards calculator seems to imply that you cannot redeem awards for this route. does that make sense?
This flight just went on sale today. I’d give it some time.
I’m really looking for any route with points (redeemable from AMEX UK Membership rewards) from TLV to AUH or DXB, so waiting for more info on points options.
The timing of the arrival in Dubai really wastes a day on the arrival side
I was just checking a flight from the states to TLV for November 20th and Emirates was already showing as an option. The article says 12/6 but I think they’re starting sooner.
Bookable with Qantas points. Business 43,800 plus taxes. First 64,500 plus taxes.
From Israel? what are the taxes like? I don’t have a qantas account to check myself
What do you mean by a more logical connection point to the Maldives ?
Would it makes sense to fly from the US to Israel with them ?
If you take advantage of a stopover in Dubai, sure.
Otherwise, that’s adding a lot more flight time than a connection in Europe.
Would it make sense to spend that much flying time just to try them out ?
If you’re on a first class award, sure.
Otherwise, not unless you get a great deal or stopover in Dubai.
i wish i was on the 380 flight. they now show the points options for these flights. a lot of points! but no doubt worth it for the business/first experience.
as of now, if i leave Israel, I would have trouble getting back in since I’m recovered but not vaccinated and only a visa holder.
It’s ironic, but when they opened up the country for all vaxxed tourists, they actually made it stricter for Visa holding residents unvaxxed
No, I wouldn’t fly to Dubai or support Emirates in any way. Dubai is a modern-day slave state. Just Google “Dubai Slavery” and see for yourself. They may have world-class Kosher food, but they also are human rights abusers. I would encourage everyone to search “Dubai is a joke” on YouTube and watch the top result by Adam Something to gain an understanding of why Dubai is not what it is portrayed to be in the media and online. We should be condemning Dubai, not flying Emirates.
I remember hearing that the TLV runway isn’t long enough for the A380, but that was approx 10+ years ago
It was extended to accommodate the A380.
Also I see is nuts and fruit in the picture of the food… unsure why that would make it one of the best food in the sky.
There are 2 pictures…
It’s fresh food, not frozen garbage. And I said best mehadrin kosher food, not best food.
Is Ben Gurion even able to handle an A380? I remember when the A380 first came out a bunch of airports were talking about how they had to redo the jet bridges to accommodate an 380 which limited the ability for airlines to add the A380 to those cities
I believe TLV made a couple gates to accommodate A380s.
yes when they add the fourth concourse at terminal 3 a few years ago
I’m flying from Tel Aviv to Melbourne on Emirates at the end of December B’ezras Hashem. Thanks for the positive feedback on the airline!
And now my flight’s been canceled
Has the route started yet?
Is it just me or did Emirates have a massive devaluation on some routes? I’m seeing gigantic fees on award pricing from MIA and IAD.
Which points are best to be used for emirates?
Emirates is from the best biz class in the sky with top notch service. I flew from Dubai to NYC a year ago
How did you pull it off ? Which points did you use ?
How much is TLV -MLE in award? I’m not managing to price it
Is Israel currently placing any restrictions on flights out of Dubai (due to security protocols or anything)??