Air Berlin will terminate its activity in two days (its routes to and from Israel were discontinued earlier), but there is already a replacement on the Tel Aviv-Berlin route. Germania Airlines has announced that it will open a regular direct route from Tel Aviv to Tegel Airport in Berlin.
Starting in November, Germania Airlines will operate weekly flights taking off on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. Prices start at €79 in each direction for a full-service flight (including 25 kilograms of stored luggage and a bag with up to six kilograms of hand luggage). The company site listed a roundtrip Tel Aviv-Berlin flight in early January for €158. easyJet and El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE: ELAL) subsidiary UP both operate direct low cost flights from Tel Aviv to Berlin.
Germania Airlines' new route will be its fourth from Israel. The company is also launching a regular flight to Nuremberg; two weekly flights will begin on November 2. Germania Airlines already operates flights from Tel Aviv to Dusseldorf and Hamburg.
The airline, represented by TAL Aviation, entered the Israeli market in 2015. TAL Aviation president and CEO Gideon Thaler said, "The opening of the two new routes from Tel Aviv to Berlin and Nuremberg, the greater frequency of the German airline's flights to Dusseldorf, and its existing flights to Hamburg show the company's great belief in and commitment to the Israeli aviation market."
The disappearance of Air Berlin from the global aviation map gave Germania Airlines opportunities to expand its worldwide activity. The company announced that it would also commence flights from Tegel Airport to various destinations. The route to Israel will begin in the winter of 2017, making it the first of the new destinations for the airline.
Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on October 26, 2017
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