JERUSALEM: Israel’s national carrier El Al on Thursday announced a first cargo flight to Dubai, days after its groundbreaking commercial passenger trip to the United Arab Emirates.
Following on the heels of a deal to normalize Israel-UAE ties, the cargo flight is scheduled to take off from Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on September 16, the airline said in a statement.
Unlike the direct passenger flight, the cargo service will fly via Liege in Belgium before continuing to Dubai, El Al said, without explaining the roundabout route.
The Boeing 747 aircraft will be carrying “agricultural and high-tech equipment” from Israel to the Emirates, El Al said, with the route set to become a regular Wednesday fixture in the future.
“The weekly El Al cargo flight to Dubai will enable Israeli companies connectivity in import and export from and to Dubai, as well as Asia in transfer from Dubai,” El Al said.
On Monday an El Al flight from Ben Gurion took a delegation of US and Israeli officials to the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, to draft agreements after a surprise diplomatic breakthrough last month.
The historic direct trip was not only the first commercial flight between the countries, but also the first official flight of the Israeli carrier over Saudi Arabia.
The El Al plane made the same trip in reverse the following day when it returned to Tel Aviv.
The United Arab Emirates and Israel are expected to sign the US-brokered accord, Israel’s first with a Gulf nation and only its third with an Arab state, at the White House in coming weeks.
Israel’s El Al announces cargo flight to Dubai
https://arab.news/za8yv
Israel’s El Al announces cargo flight to Dubai
- Unlike the direct passenger flight, the cargo service will fly via Liege in Belgium before continuing to Dubai, El Al said
- The Boeing 747 aircraft will be carrying “agricultural and high-tech equipment” from Israel to the Emirates
Closing Bell: Saudi main index climbs to 10,485
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index edged up on Sunday, gaining 34.32 points, or 0.33 percent, to close at 10,484.59.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index stood at SR2.59 billion ($690 million), with 168 listed stocks advancing and 87 declining.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu also gained 100.37 points to close at 23,454.65.
The MSCI Tadawul Index advanced by 0.13 points to 1,377.44.
The best-performing stock on the main market was Nama Chemicals Co., whose share price increased by 9.98 percent to SR22.38.
The share price of Al Masar Al Shamil Education Co. rose by 9.15 percent to SR23.85.
Saudi Paper Manufacturing Co. also saw its stock price climb by 8.42 percent to SR57.95.
Conversely, the share price of Canadian Medical Center Co. dropped by 6.37 percent to SR6.03.
The stock price of Kingdom Holding Co. also declined by 3.16 percent to SR8.28.
In the parallel market, Alfakhera for Mens Tailoring Co. was the top performer, with its share price advancing by 16.40 percent to SR8.80.
On the announcements front, Theeb Rent a Car Co. said it had signed a long-term vehicle leasing services contract valued at SR110.4 million with Hungerstation Co.
Under the deal, Theeb will lease 2,000 vehicles to HungerStation for a period of four years starting from 2026, according to a Tadawul statement.
The statement added that the vehicles will be delivered in batches within the first six months from the contract start date, taking into consideration global logistical circumstances and procedures beyond the control of both the agents and the company.
The contract is expected to have a positive impact on the company’s financials from the first quarter of 2026.
The share price of Theeb Rent a Car Co. declined by 0.79 percent to SR37.80.
