Cyprus airline completes first direct flight between Israel and Qatar

Cyprus-based airline TUS Airways on Monday said that it completed the first direct flight between Israel and Qatar, a historic milestone in the relationship between the two countries.

“This is the first official approval of its kind by the governments of Israel and Qatar, and concerns the transport of 180 football fans to the 2022 FIFA World Cup currently being held in the Persian Gulf,” the airline said.

The airline also stated that it is proud to bear the Cypriot flag on its aircraft, adding that “it is honoured to carry out such a historic flight and to demonstrate the importance that the Republic of Cyprus possesses on the world stage in terms of air connectivity, as well as in regards to promoting stronger and closer ties in the region”.

Moreover, TUS Airways said that it will operate 6 additional round-trip flights, with 12 flights in total, between Tel Aviv and Doha to transport more than a thousand football fans to the Persian Gulf between November 20 and December 15, 2022.

The statement also noted that the flights will be carried out with the company’s state-of-the-art Airbus A320 aircraft, with a flight duration of approximately three hours.

In addition, due to high demand, TUS Airways explained that it has asked the relevant authorities for permission to add an additional three return flights, bringing the number of flights to 18 in total.

Finally, TUS Airways said that it will begin offering direct flights from Larnaca to Heraklion, Crete from December 16, 2022.