Arkia Israeli Airlines has stated that it will begin flying between Israel and the United States on February 8, 2025, in an effort to increase capacity and price competitiveness on the Tel Aviv-New York route. The route is currently handled only by national carrier El Al, and a lack of capacity for this critical service has driven up rates dramatically.
More links between the tech industry and New York.
Next month, Arkia Israeli Airlines (Arkia) will commence flights from Tel Aviv to New York in conjunction with TechAir, a non-profit initiative dedicated at restoring open skies in Israel and providing realistic and accessible travel solutions to the US. The service will start on February 8 and run three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
According to TechAir’s website, the ongoing security situation in Israel has resulted in the suspension of several foreign flights, making travel to New York more challenging.The group added:
The Israeli High-Tech Headquarters has created ‘TechAir,’ a non-profit project to answer the growing demand for affordable and accessible travel. This effort intends to restore open skies for Israel and provide cost-effective solutions to the paucity of flights to the United States.
Since the commencement of war in October 2023, travel between Israel and the US has been challenging, with foreign carriers routinely canceling services due to security concerns.
US airlines have stopped flying to Israel, leaving El Al as the only carrier flying from Tel Aviv on nonstop routes to North America. The lack of competition and seat availability has caused ticket costs to skyrocket.
Arkia’s partnership with TechAir involves reserving tickets for the high-tech industry, but the exact number of seats is unknown (Source: Times of Israel). Arlia offers return trip economy tickets starting at $1,199, including meals and baggage, through their sales channels.
flights operated using an Iberojet A330neo.
The new service will operate for three months using an Airbus A330-900neo widebody leased from Iberojet, a Spanish-Portuguese charter airline. Arkia’s CEO Oz Berlowitz described the event as a historic and crucial day for the company, stating that its crews will assist passengers aboard the aircraft.
“Launching the direct Tel Aviv-New York route is an important milestone, which shows our commitment to the Israeli public and to finding aviation solutions even in challenging times.”
The flights will connect Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) and New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK). One Mile At A Time suggests the following schedule:
- On Mondays and Wednesdays, IZ991 departs Tel Aviv at 12:00 and arrives in New York at 18:20.
- IZ991 departs TLV on Saturday at 23:30 and arrives at JFK at 05:50 the next day.
- IZ992 departs JFK at 15:00 every Tuesday and Thursday and arrives in Tel Aviv at 08:00 the next day.
- On Sunday, IZ992 departs from New York at 16:00 and arrives in Tel Aviv at 09:00 the next day.
While Arkia is commencing the flights, it does not have any aircraft capable of flying such a lengthy journey. According to fleet statistics from ch-aviation, the company owns five aircraft and has another five on wet lease from five charter providers.
Arkia operates five planes, including two Airbus A321LRs, one Embraer E190, and two Embraer E195s. Wet-leased aircraft include four Airbus A320-200s and one Boeing 737-700.
The Israeli government offers considerable support.
The New York flights come after the Israeli government announced a subsidy package earlier this month to encourage local and foreign airlines to fly to North America. Under the assistance package, the government will share 50% of an airline’s operational loss for canceled flights if the company adds at least two weekly flights to North America.
Israel’s Transportation Minister, Miri Regev, welcomed Arkia’s intention to launch more flights to North America, making it more accessible for passengers, particularly business travelers, and lowering ticket rates. She stated that Israel will assist airlines that choose to conduct direct flights to the United States, resulting in increased competition.
“The government will share the cost of compensation for passengers due to flight cancellations, in light of the security situation, to encourage companies to increase the scope of flights.”
TechAir is a platform for leading Israeli entrepreneurs, startup founders, investors, and venture capital fund managers who need to travel outside of Israel to meet with customers and investors in person. It had earlier announced plans to launch the Tel Aviv-New York service on January 21 using leased planes and workers.