Israel and Emirates Negotiate Unprecedented Seventh Freedom Route Between Tel Aviv and New York
Israel and Emirates are negotiating a rare seventh freedom route between Tel Aviv and New York, a first for a Gulf carrier in the US.
Israel and Emirates are in active negotiations to launch nonstop flights between Tel Aviv and New York under a seventh freedom arrangement, meaning Emirates would operate a route entirely between two foreign countries without any connection to its home base in Dubai. If approved, this would be the first time a Gulf carrier has secured seventh freedom rights into the United States, setting a precedent that could reshape international aviation.
What Is a Seventh Freedom Flight?
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines nine “freedoms of the air,” the legal building blocks governing international aviation rights. The first four cover the basics: overflight rights, refueling stops, and carrying passengers between an airline’s home country and another nation. Most international flying operates within these first four freedoms.
The seventh freedom goes much further. It grants an airline the right to carry passengers between two foreign countries on a route that never touches the airline’s home country. In this case, Emirates, a UAE-registered carrier based in Dubai, would fly passengers between Tel Aviv and New York with no leg of the journey passing through the United Arab Emirates.
Seventh freedom rights remain one of the least-used tools in international aviation. The freedoms of the air were codified in 1944 at the Chicago Convention, and 82 years later, there is still no precedent for a Gulf carrier operating a seventh freedom route into the US.
Why Does Israel Want This Deal?
The answer is capacity. El Al, Israel’s flag carrier, has been stretched thin. The Tel Aviv-to-New York corridor is one of the most demanded routes in Israel’s network, and El Al lacks the fleet size to meet that demand, particularly as geopolitical pressures have reshaped Middle East scheduling over the past two years.
United and Delta also serve the route, but demand continues to outstrip available seats. Emirates, with its fleet of Airbus A380 superjumbos and Boeing 777s, could inject massive seat capacity on the route almost overnight.
What’s in It for Emirates?
Emirates would gain access to one of the most lucrative transatlantic markets without building a connecting hub operation. The airline would sell direct tickets — Tel Aviv to JFK or Newark — and retain the full revenue. No codeshare split, no interline complexity. A clean, high-yield route.
What Are the Regulatory Hurdles?
The path to approval is complicated on multiple fronts.
The US Department of Transportation would need to sign off. Existing Open Skies agreements between the US and the UAE would need to be examined to determine whether seventh freedom rights are even covered under current treaties.
Then there is the political dimension. Delta, United, and American Airlines have previously argued that Gulf carriers benefit from state subsidies that distort competition — the so-called Gulf subsidy battle. These carriers may push back hard against a seventh freedom precedent, viewing it as a door that, once opened, would be difficult to close.
On the Israeli side, regulatory approvals are also far from guaranteed. No timeline has been confirmed for the deal, though negotiations are reported to be serious and ongoing.
How the Abraham Accords Changed the Landscape
This negotiation is inseparable from the broader Abraham Accords normalization between Israel and the UAE. Direct air service between the two countries only began in 2020, after decades with no diplomatic relations. Emirates launching flights to Tel Aviv was already historic.
A seventh freedom operation between Tel Aviv and New York would represent another leap — transforming a diplomatic breakthrough into a commercial aviation framework that has no real parallel elsewhere in the world.
Why This Matters for the Future of International Aviation
If this deal goes through, it signals that the traditional bilateral air service framework is bending. Other carriers in the Gulf, Asia, and Europe have long sought seventh freedom access to high-demand US routes. The United States has never opened that door — and Israel may be providing the key.
A successful Tel Aviv-to-New York Emirates flight under this arrangement would function as a proof of concept for seventh freedom operations into the US, potentially prompting similar requests from carriers worldwide.
Key Takeaways
- Israel and Emirates are negotiating a seventh freedom route between Tel Aviv and New York, which would allow Emirates to operate the route without any connection to Dubai.
- No Gulf carrier has ever held seventh freedom rights into the US. Approval would set a first-of-its-kind precedent.
- El Al’s capacity constraints and surging demand on the Tel Aviv-New York corridor are driving Israel’s interest in the deal.
- US regulatory approval is uncertain. Legacy American carriers may oppose the arrangement on competitive grounds.
- The deal builds on the Abraham Accords, extending diplomatic normalization into uncharted commercial aviation territory.
Reporting drawn from Simple Flying’s coverage of the Israeli-Emirates negotiations. This story is still developing as of May 2025.
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