Israeli carriers are set to resume direct flights to Turkey as the two nations continue to improve relations. All three of Israel's major airlines - El Al, Israir and Arkia - will resume flights, with one million Israeli travelers expected to visit Turkey this year.
Israeli airlines return to Turkey
As reported by Reuters, Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen informed journalists during a visit to Turkey that the first flight will depart Israel on Thursday. Cohen was in Turkey as a show of solidarity after the country was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake last week.
Cohen commented,
"I would like to update you that Israeli flights will renew in two days from now, and all the three major companies in Israel will renew their flights to Turkey."
An Israeli official added that the flights would resume under the bilateral civil aviation deal signed by both countries last year, which enabled Israeli airlines to operate direct services to Turkey for the first time in over a decade.
Tourism increase predicted
Cohen has estimated that around one million Israelis will visit Turkey in 2023, a 25% increase from the 800,000 Israeli travelers who visited in 2022. Prior to 2022, Israeli airlines hadn't flown directly to Turkey for over a decade following the souring of relations in 2008, although Turkish carriers operated as many as 16 flights a day to Israel before the COVID pandemic.
In fact, by the summer of 2022, Turkish Airlines had grown into the third-largest airline operating in Israel with a 7% market share at Ben Gurion Airport, while El Al saw its share decrease from 29% to 22% in the course of a year.
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Israel foreign relations
Relations between Israel and Turkey had been strained for over a decade before the two nations normalized ties last year - along with improving political and economic ties, Israel and Turkey signed a bilateral civil aviation agreement in July that enabled Israeli carriers to resume scheduled flights after more than a decade.
Cohen added,
"We will definitely warm the important relations between your important and beautiful country and Israel."
Israel has made progress in its foreign relations over the past couple of years, opening up more possibilities for Israel's airlines - this includes Saudi Arabia opening up its airspace for Israeli carriers in August following the Abraham Accords in 2020, which normalized relations between the two countries. Additionally, during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Israeli visitors faced the prospect of a 'diplomatic stop' in Cyprus as direct flights between Israel and Qatar are banned - however, a last-minute reprieve allowed TUS Airways to operate directly between the two nations.
Are you happy to see Israeli airlines resuming flights to Turkey? Have you ever traveled direct between the two countries? Let us know your stories in the comments.
Source: Reuters