Emirates Eyes Return to Israel - With a Twist
Israel's Transport Ministry is offering the UAE aviation giant an extraordinary deal to lure it back to Ben Gurion Airport, but Israeli airlines are already preparing to fight it.
Nearly two years after Emirates quietly stopped flying to Israel following the October 7 attacks, Israel's Transport Ministry is mounting an ambitious effort to bring the Gulf carrier back and sweetening the offer in an unprecedented way.
Rather than simply restoring the airline's original Tel Aviv–Dubai route, the ministry is proposing something far more unusual: allowing Emirates to operate direct flights from Ben Gurion Airport to New York and Bangkok, bypassing Dubai entirely. If approved, Israeli passengers on two of the country's most popular and expensive international routes could soon find themselves with a powerful new competitor driving prices down.
A Weekend of Diplomacy
The initiative is already past the talking stage. According to a Channel 12 News report, a delegation of senior Israeli Transport Ministry officials met over the weekend with their counterparts at the UAE Ministry of Transport and with Emirates representatives, in a bid to advance the proposal. The meeting signals that both sides are taking the idea seriously.
The ministry's backing comes from the top, with Transport Minister lending personal support to the plan.
The "Seventh Freedom" Gamble
At the heart of the proposal is a legal concept rarely granted in international aviation: the so-called Seventh Freedom of the Air. Under standard aviation agreements, an airline from country A can fly passengers from country A to country B, but granting Seventh Freedom rights allows that airline to operate routes entirely outside its home country, carrying passengers between two foreign destinations without touching its home base.
In practical terms, it would mean Emirates aircraft flying routes that have nothing to do with Dubai, departing Israeli soil bound for New York or Bangkok as if Ben Gurion were a hub of their own.
It is an extraordinary concession, and it comes with a price: Israeli aviation law does not currently permit it. Implementing the proposal would require legislative amendments, adding a significant layer of complexity to an already delicate diplomatic and commercial negotiation.
A Fight Is Coming
Israel's three main carriers, El Al, Arkia, and Israir, which is itself preparing to enter the competitive New York route, are not expected to accept the arrangement without a battle. Legal challenges and regulatory petitions are widely anticipated the moment any approval moves toward becoming official.
The airlines' concern is straightforward: Emirates is one of the world's largest and most well-funded carriers, with a reputation for premium service and aggressive pricing. Its entry onto routes that Israeli airlines currently dominate would represent a fundamental shift in the market.
What It Could Mean for Passengers
For Israeli consumers, the picture looks considerably more attractive. Flights from Tel Aviv to New York and Bangkok are among the most sought-after (and most expensive) routes out of Ben Gurion Airport. The arrival of a major international carrier with no existing Israeli market share to protect could trigger the kind of price competition that has so far been absent on those routes.
Whether that prospect becomes reality depends on negotiations still in progress, laws that have yet to be changed, and legal battles that have yet to be filed. But the ministry's move signals a clear intent: to reshape Israeli aviation's competitive landscape, even if it means a serious fight at home to do it.