A new agreement between Israel’s national carrier and the state government has made non-stop flights from Tel Aviv to Melbourne one step closer to being realised.
Industry and Innovation Minister Ben Carroll joined EL AL chief executive Dina Ben Tal Ganancia in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, March 14 to sign a Letter of Intent between the state government and the airline to work together to secure non-stop Tel Aviv to Melbourne flights by June 2024.
The airline has outlined its intention to operate three services per week, which are expected to add 44,000 seats to Melbourne each year, deliver a $48 million annual boost to the state’s economy and create an estimated 155 jobs in aviation and tourism.
Once operational, the flights would provide a non-stop air link between Israel and Australia and position Melbourne as the airline’s hub for passengers travelling to destinations across Australia and New Zealand.
Mr Carroll said the increase in international flights to Tel Aviv would power Australia’s economy and boost its status as a key destination for tourism, trade and investment.
“We’re partnering with EL AL, Israel’s national airline, to back direct flights between Melbourne and Tel Aviv to strengthen business connections and create jobs locally,” he said.
EL AL would join a growing list of airlines which have been supported by the state government to expand international flights to Melbourne, including Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines, Bamboo Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways and Scoot.
Ms Ganancia said they were grateful to the state government for its support.
“We look forward to launching our first ever non-stop flights to Melbourne as we position Victoria as Israel’s gateway to Australia,” she said.
