El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE: ELAL) has resumed providing flights to Turkey for the first time since a crisis broke out between Israel and Turkey. El Al and Turkish carrier Atlasjet have signed a code-sharing agreement, under which El Al will begin oeprating a daily flight on Atlasjet planes between Tel Aviv and Istanbul in April.
El Al CEO Eliezer Shekdi and Atlasjet CEO Ali Murat Ersoy signed the agreement at El Al's offices. Ersoy flew in by special flight from Istanbul. Turkish tourism attache to Israel also attended the ceremony.
Ersoy said, "As Turkish friends of Israel, we are excited by this collaboration, and we hope that it will lead to improved political ties between the countries."
Shkedi said, "This agreement is an important opportunity for El Al. More than merely symbolic, it shows that we're friends, not enemies."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 21, 2010
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