Etihad Airways Denies Pulling Israel From Map

Image by etihad airways

By JTA March 11, 2014

An airline owned by the United Arab Emirates said it “emphatically refutes” claims that it excludes Israel from its official travel-route map and refuses to transport Israelis.

In a statement, Etihad Airways wrote that it carried more than 1,000 passengers traveling with Israeli passports last year, refuting assertions made in the New York Post newspaper.

“In fact, we do not discriminate in any way and welcome passengers of all faiths and religions carrying valid documentation,” the statement said.

Etihad said its maps “do not identify countries by name” and that its website lists Israel “as one of more than 150 country options for passenger documentation when booking flights.”

JTA published a brief article last week based on the reporting in the New York Post article.

According to the Post, Etihad is the sole airline that provides service between Abu Dhabi and U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago and Washington.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO