Tel Aviv, Sep 11 (IANS): Israir became the first Israeli airline to announce the first direct route to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the two countries reached a historic agreement last month to normalise relations.

In a statement on Thursday, the company said that it will operate direct flights from the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv to the Abu Dhabi International Airport, reports Xinhua news agency

The flights will take about three and a half hours, with ticket prices starting from $299.

Israir said it will also offer a package of flights and hotel stays in the UAE capital city.

Last week, Saudi Arabia agreed to allow Israeli planes to fly over its territory, paving the way for the operation of the direct flights to the UAE.

Because of low Covid-19 morbidity in the UAE, passengers returning to Israel will not be required to take a 14-day quarantine.

Last week, Israeli flag carrier El Al announced it would operate weekly indirect cargo flights to Dubai via the Belgian city of Liege.

El Al said the new route is expected to operate on a weekly basis, with a regular flight departing from Tel Aviv to Dubai on Wednesdays and returning on Fridays.

On September 7, El Al operated the first-ever commercial flight between Israel and Abu Dhabi.

Aboard the plane, Israeli and American delegations flew to Abu Dhabi in the wake of a US-brokered agreement between the UAE and Israel on August 13 to normalise relarions.