El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE:ELAL) has announced that it will launch direct flights between Tel Aviv and Melbourne by June 2024. The Israeli carrier has signed a letter of intent with the Victorian government to operate three weekly flights using Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
El Al had originally announced it would be launching the route in 2019 but the Covid pandemic delayed these plans, while the opening of Saudi and Oman airspace to Israeli airlines has shortened the route to 15 hours eastbound and 17 hours westbound.
At the letter of intent signing ceremony in Tel Aviv, El Al CEO Dina Ben Tal Ganancia said, "We look forward to launching our first ever non-stop flights to Melbourne, as we position Victoria as Israel’s gateway to Australia."
The Victorian government is supporting the initiative to strengthen business connections and create jobs locally. Speaking in Israel, Victoria Minister for Industry and Innovation Ben Carroll said, "More international flights to such an important trading partner will power our economy and boost our status as a key destination for tourism, trade and investment."
Launching the direct flights to Australia is part of El Al's post-Covid expansion strategy. This month alone El Al is inaugurating four new routes from Tel Aviv to Tokyo, Dublin, Porto and Istanbul.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on March 15, 2023.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2023.