Air Haifa will operate up to 10 daily flights between Ben-Gurion and Ramon airports starting at the end of October, the airline announced on Thursday.
The planned route will connect Israel’s main international airport with Ramon Airport near Eilat. Ticket prices and the flight schedule will be revealed after the relevant slots are allocated.
The move comes as part of Air Haifa’s broader growth plan, following a year and a half in which the company has expanded operations from Haifa Airport and sought to turn it into a regional aviation hub.
Air Haifa said that the route is intended to improve air access between central Israel and the south, after domestic air connectivity to Eilat was reduced following the closure of Sde Dov Airport and the old Eilat Airport.
As part of the expansion, the airline will receive two additional ATR 72-600 aircraft over the next year, bringing its fleet to eight aircraft. The company also plans to increase activity from Haifa Airport by around 40% during the coming winter, with additional flights and more available seats.
Air Haifa is working to expand to flights to Europe, UAE
The company is also working to advance the extension of the runway in Haifa, which would allow it to expand its route network and operate direct flights to additional destinations in central and western Europe, as well as the UAE.
“The planned activity between Ben-Gurion Airport and Ramon Airport is another strategic step in our growth plan,” Air Haifa CEO Gonen Usishkin said.
“After establishing regular operations from Haifa at a scale and with a range of destinations that did not previously exist, we plan to bring the same service approach to the route between central Israel and Eilat,” he added.