From September 28, Tel Aviv-headquartered airline Arkia will fly to two popular Indian destinations — Goa and Kochi. The airline will operate Tel Aviv-Goa route once a week and Tel Aviv- Kochi route twice a week.
The Israeli carrier will deploy its 220-seater single-aisle Airbus A321LR on the newly added routes. Both sectors will have a one-way duration of seven hours each and will run all year round, except for the summer in Israel. Additionally, the airline is set to offer a full-flight service with an onboard entertainment system.
The bookings are set to commence from 24 March 2019. According to Israel Ministry of Tourism, India is now the 12th biggest market for Israel. In 2018, Israel recorded 21 per cent growth with 70,800 Indian tourist arrivals to the country as compared to 2017.
Hassan Madah, Director, Israel Ministry of Tourism, India and Philippines, “We see India becoming one of the key source markets for Israel in the coming years and with Arkia’s direct flights to Goa and Kochi, the Indian traveller’s interest will surely increase.
“Goa attracts many Israeli tourists who visit the Indian state for leisure holidays, while Israel has recorded a notable mix of pilgrimage and leisure travellers from Kochi. With nonstop operations from the West, North and now South of India; this will help meet the growing demand and enable us to achieve higher Indian arrivals to Israel in 2019.”
Currently, Israel’s national carrier EI AI flies nonstop thrice-weekly between Mumbai and Tel Aviv; and Air India has five times a week direct service on Delhi-Tel Aviv route. arkia.com
Photo credit – Dana Friedlander Israel Ministry of Tourism
