The move was triggered by the Open Skies Treaty, which has Israeli airlines fear the competition from European airlines
CAL Cargo Air Lines, an Israeli registered cargo airline which operates scheduled cargo flights carrying perishable goods and general cargo from Israel to Europe and the rest of the world is understood to be mulling to become a European registered company.
The company, which is based in Ben Gurion International Airport, and has a hub at Liטge Airport (Belgium), has been serving the Israeli foreign trade for over 20 years.
The airline carries over 100,000 tons of cargo annually, including exports of fresh agricultural produce and industrial materials, and imports of heavy machinery, automobiles, sensitive cargo and livestock.
According to local report, the move being considered follows the decision taken by the Government of Israel to adopt Open Skies Treaty with the European Union. The agreement will come into effect gradually until the summer of 2017, when there will be unrestricted air travel between Israel and the EU. The agreement means that all airlines cargo and passenger in the EU will be able to operate direct flights to Israel from any location in the EU, and Israeli airlines in turn will be able to fly to any EU airport.
CAL anticipates that Israeli airlines will suffer from the new tough European competition. The company is known to have expressed its thinking during a meeting between Transport Minister Yisrael Katz and the heads of Israeli airlines, held two weeks ago.
