Bahrain’s Gulf Air plans to launch its inaugural route to Israel before the end of the month—almost a year after the two countries formally established diplomatic relations.
The airline will begin scheduled operations from Sept. 30, flying twice a week between Bahrain International (BAH) and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (TLV). Service will be on Mondays and Thursdays using Airbus A320neo aircraft.
“As the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, we take great pride in supporting our leadership and Kingdom in their role of preserving peace and prosperity in the region,” Gulf Air acting CEO Waleed AlAlawi said. “We hope this is merely the beginning of developing further opportunities.”
Israel and Bahrain formally established diplomatic ties in October 2020 in a deal brokered by the US. The agreement came shortly after the United Arab Emirates also normalized relations with Israel.