UAE-Israel travel: Etihad cancels some flights to and from Tel Aviv

Etihad Airways cancelled flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv on Tuesday and Thursday.

Flights EY595 from Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport (AUH) to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) on August 6 and August 8 have been cancelled. The return flight, EY596 from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi on the same days have also been cancelled.

The airline said the disruption was due to 'operational reasons'.

In a statement to Khaleej Times the airline said, "Etihad Airways merged its two flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv into one for operational reasons" on August 6 and 8.

"Customers booked on the EY 595/596 are being contacted and re-accommodated on the other daytime service between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Tel Aviv, the EY 593/594."

Etihad also said that the "safety of our guests and crew is our number one priority and we regret any inconvenience caused by the operational decisions."

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This comes at a time where regional tensions have been heightening between Israel and Hezbollah, as many airlines started avoiding Iranian and Lebanese airspace and cancelling flights to Israel and Lebanon, as concerns grow over a possible conflict in the region after the killing of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah.

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