El Al flight LY971 to Abu Dhabi was no typical air journey
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — From the Israeli captain’s emotional greeting in Arabic upon takeoff in Tel Aviv, to the warm Emirati reception on the ground in scorching Abu Dhabi, it was obvious this was no typical flight.
Monday’s El Al flight LY971 marked the first-ever direct flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates, placing a significant stamp on this month’s historic U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between the two nations.
The journey was steeped in symbolism. U.S. and Israeli flags adorned the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport as Israeli music played, and the word “peace” was emblazoned in English, Hebrew and Arabic above the cockpit window of the Boeing 737. On board, the “Making History” motto featured prominently on each seat’s headrest covering and complimentary fabric bags of the “Abraham Accord Inaugural Flight” were distributed.
A special menu was prepared, highlighting touches of Middle Eastern cuisine, and the director-general of Israel’s Health Ministry even handed out a limited-edition face-mask featuring the Israeli and Emirati flags. The American diplomats on board sported a tri-country face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Prior to boarding, the deal’s mastermind, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, waxed poetic on the flight’s meaning.
“While this is a historic flight, we hope it will start an even more historic journey for the Middle East and beyond,” he said. “This is a very hopeful time and I believe that so much peace and property is possible in the region and across the world.”
But only after takeoff did that take on concrete significance, as the El Al aircraft veered east toward the desert terrain rather than west over the Mediterranean Sea as it...
