History looks likely to be made next year when the first-ever regular passenger flights between Australia and Israel commence.
The landmark services between Melbourne and Tel Aviv are a step closer after the Victorian Government signed a letter of intent with Israeli national airline El Al in Tel Aviv this week.
Signed by Victoria’s Minister for Industry and Innovation Ben Carroll and El Al chief executive officer, Dina Ben Tal Ganancia, the letter formalises a cooperative effort to make the flights happen by June 2024.
Although El Al made a few repatriation flights to Australia during the early stages of the pandemic, scheduled services are more viable since Saudi Arabia and Oman opened airspace for the Israeli carrier.
According to The Australian Jewish News, the flag carrier plans to operate three services per week between the cities, adding around 44,000 seats each way. The journey would take around 15 hours.
“We’re partnering with El Al, Israel’s national airline, to back direct flights between Melbourne and Tel Aviv to strengthen business connections and create jobs locally,” 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.”
Ben Tal Ganancia also thanked the Victorian Government for its support.
“We look forward to launching our first ever non-stop flights to Melbourne as we position Victoria as Israel’s gateway to Australia,” he said.
Authorities expect the new service to generate nearly $50 million annually for Victoria’s economy and also create around 155 jobs in the aviation and tourism sectors.
In May 2022, Israel removed the last of its entry rules around Covid-19.
