This was originally published as a press release from Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic is delighted to announce that it will be launching flights between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv, Israel with the first flight taking place on 25th September 2019.
Flying daily between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport, the five hour flight will operate on an Airbus A330-300 aircraft boasting Upper Class, Premium and Economy Light, Classic and Delight offering.
Offering over 180,000 seats each year, the new service will offer seamless connections and a consistent long haul onboard experience for those customers connecting from Tel Aviv via London Heathrow to destinations throughout North America across both the Virgin Atlantic and Delta networks including New York, Seattle, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
As well as flying customers, Virgin Atlantic will offer a fast cargo service from Tel Aviv for goods such as fresh produce and high tech products to prime markets in the US, and offer more choice for companies exporting a wide range of cargoes to Israel’s buoyant business and consumer markets.
Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic CEO commented:
“2019 marks the start of a new phase of growth for Virgin Atlantic as we work to achieve our ambition to become the most loved travel company. Tel Aviv represents a fantastic opportunity for us - Israel’s economy is booming and as one of the world’s leading tech hubs we’re anticipating many business travellers and entrepreneurs flying between Tel Aviv and the UK. We also see a significant opportunity to increase competition in the US – Tel Aviv market, using the strength of our trans-atlantic Joint Venture with Delta to offer customers from Tel Aviv a wide range of US destinations connecting through London Heathrow including New York and San Francisco.”
“I’m also thrilled to introduce this new destination to our leisure customers and I know it’s somewhere they’ll love to visit. Renowned for its cultural sites and with UNESCO recognised architecture, Tel Aviv also boasts beautiful beaches, a buzzing artistic and nightlife scene, incredible food and is a great base to explore the tourist destinations of the region including the iconic historical city of Jerusalem, Nazareth, and the Dead Sea”.
Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said:
“The entry of one of the world’s leading airlines into Israel is another expression of confidence in the Israel tourism product. The revolution that we have implemented in the Ministry of Tourism in recent years is bearing fruit with record-breaking numbers of incoming tourism to Israel. The new flights will be integrated with the marketing campaign in Europe, which highlights Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. I am convinced that, with the entry of Virgin Atlantic into Israel, we will see continued growth in incoming tourism from the UK.”
2019 signifies a year of growth for Virgin Atlantic, as it focuses on delivering irresistible, effortless and great value experiences that their customers love. In 2019, it will welcome the first four of 12 Airbus A350-1000 to its fleet which not only boasts a totally redesigned on board experience for itscustomers but will help transform the fleet into one of the quietest and most fuel efficient in the sky.
Virgin Atlantic is also looking forward to becoming the founding member of a new, $13 billion transatlantic joint venture with over 300 daily transatlantic flights and 96 non-stop destinations, alongside Delta, Air France and KLM as well as launching new services from London Heathrow to Las Vegas and Manchester to Los Angeles.
Flights to Tel Aviv will be on sale from 25th February.
