A new aviation agreement signed last week during talks held in Tokyo will soon allow the introduction of 14 direct weekly flights between Japan and Israel.
The Tokyo talks were attended by Joel Feldschuh, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI), representatives from Israel’s airline El Al and other CAAI officials, and their counterparts of Japan's Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) and representatives of Japan’s biggest airline, All Nippon.
No date was given for the launch of the new route. There are no direct flights between Israel and Japan currently, and most passengers traveling between the two countries must make connecting flights in Hong Kong or Seoul.
Israel's Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz confirmed the new aviation agreement, calling it “really good news.” Katz added: “I believe that adding destinations in Japan itself, as well as flights, will increase the number of tourists arriving in Israel in the near future. The agreement is also an important component in the government’s policy to strengthen Israel’s relations with Japan.”
According to the Israeli Tourism Ministry, some 13,000 people traveled from Japan to Israel in 2014.
