Starting on June 5, Cypriot airline Charlie Airlines will begin operating regular flights between Ben Gurion Airport and Larnaca. Charlie is thereby joining seven other airlines currently operating 55 weekly flights between Ben Gurion Airport and Larnaca, with additional flights to other parts of Cyprus, such as Northern Cyprus, a destination that has become more popular following the introduction of direct flights to it.
Charlie Airlines (formerly Cyprus Airways) was founded only a year ago, and operates flights to only five destinations, including Israel. In early June, the company will begin flying to St. Petersburg in Russia (an interesting option for connection flights if the prices are suitable). The company also flies to Athens and Rhodes in Greece. At this stage, the company's air fleet consists of one Airbus 319-100 with a capacity of 144 passengers.
The other airlines flying to Larnaca are Arkia Airlines Ltd. with 14 weekly flights, El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE: ELAL) and Israir Airlines and Tourism Ltd. with seven weekly flights each, Aegean Airlines with nine weekly flights, Tus Airways with nine weekly flights, and Cobalt Air and Blue Air with four weekly flights each.
Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz said that increasing the number of airlines allowed to operate regular flights to Israel "is a national strategic goal of the country." He added, "We are continuing to develop the airports in Israel and bringing down the prices, so that the consumer revolutions will reach every home, and the Israeli public will be the main beneficiary."
Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on May 25, 2017
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