Arkia general manager Izzy Borovitz: Demand for the Jerusalem-Eilat line dropped sharply following operation of flights on the Ben Gurion-Eilat line.
Arkia, Israel's largest inland carrier, has decided to discontinue its regular flights to and from Jerusalem. Arkia notified the Ministry of Transport, which cannot oppose the move, because Arkia's license terms do not oblige it to operate the line. Arkia's losses on the Jerusalem line amount to $700,000 a year.
Arkia operates two daily flights on the Eilat-Jerusalem line, on top of flights on the Haifa-Jerusalem Line. All flights on these lines will be discontinued as of May 1. Israir, Arkia's major competitor in the inland aviation market, discontinued its Jerusalem flights a few years ago.
Arkia general manager Izzy Borovitz told "Globes" today that the flights are to be discontinued because the operation of Boeing 737 flights from Ben Gurion Airport to Eilat has caused a sharp drop in demand on the Jerusalem-Eilat line.
"There has been a steady fall in the number of passengers in Jerusalem. One of the reasons is the absence of public transportation to Atarot Airport, in contrast with convenient public transportation to Ben Gurion Airport".
Published by Israel's Business Arena on 23 April, 2000