First Commercial Flight From Israel to Qatar Leaves Ben Gurion Airport

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - The first direct commercial flight bound from Tel Aviv to Doha has departed the Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday ahead of the opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to the online departure board.

Flight 1162 is operated by Cyprus-based TUS Airways.

A total of 180 passengers boarded the jet, Israeli media report. According to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, each boarding pass has an inscription that reads "Making History" in Hebrew, Arabic and English.

The flight from Tel Aviv to the Qatari capital will take around three and a half hours. Most tickets, costing $550 for a round trip, are already sold out and the air carrier is in talks to add six extra flights to the 12 that were originally planned.

Israelis leaving for the tournament are strictly advised to respect Qatar's policies concerning alcohol consumption and drugs. They also received cards with contact information of the Israeli consular office, which will operate in the Gulf nation during the games.

The first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and the Arab world is scheduled to be held starting from November 20 until December 18. As expected, the World Cup in Qatar will be the most expensive in the history of football competitions. The Qatari authorities have previously reported that hosting the World Cup will cost the country about $200 billion, taking into account the construction of stadiums, subways, new roads, hotels, and large-scale reconstruction of the entire infrastructure in the country.