Arkia, Israel’s second-largest airline, will operate flights between Tel Aviv and New York JFK beginning Feb. 8.
The flights will be in partnership with a new Israeli nonprofit called TechAir. Arkia will offer competition to El Al, which has become the lone airline connecting the U.S. and Israel with the U.S. airlines suspending their service.Â
Arkia’s New York flights will operate three times per week at a roundtrip price of $1,198, the carrier’s website shows. Flights will continue through May, according to the Jerusalem Post.Â
Arkia will operate Airbus A300-900Neo aircraft under a lease agreement it has entered with TechAir, which was founded by the Israeli High-Tech Headquarters, a consortium of Israeli technology companies.Â
On its website, TechAir says its mission is to ensure affordable and flexible air travel between Israel and the United State and to mitigate the economic and logistical impact of limited Israel-New York flight availability.
United, Delta and American have suspended Israel flying due to Israel’s war with Hamas and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, leaving El Al alone in the market. El Al’s profit has soared as a result, despite the impact of war on demand for Israeli travel.
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