Israeli carriers El Al and Arkia are moving to boost their transatlantic business by capitalising on the withdrawal of Tower Air from services between Tel Aviv and New York.
The cash-strapped US low-fare airline was forced to stop its scheduled services earlier this month after an expected Israeli rescue plan failed to materialised. Tower Air operated up to seven weekly Boeing 747 flights on the busy New York-Tel Aviv route, with fares up to $150 lower than rivals.
Shortly after Tower halted scheduled flights on 2 May, Arkia announced plans to introduce three weekly charter flights from Tel Aviv to New York in September.
Meanwhile El Al is considering using its US arm North American Airlines to operate low-fare scheduled flights on the route. The airline operates two Boeing 737-800s and two 757s on feeder services for El Al in the USA.
Source: Flight International
