Israeli airline Arkia announced on Tuesday that it will launch the first non-stop service from Tel Aviv to Vietnam this winter and resume flights to Thailand.
The inroad by Israel’s second-largest carrier to the Far East comes months after successfully launching direct flights to New York earlier this year and represents a further international expansion for the airline.
Arkia will offer a weekly flight to the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi starting in January, which will become biweekly in March, while it will operate twice weekly flights to the Thai capital of Bangkok starting in November, Arkia Director General Oz Berlowitz said.
Fares to Bangkok will start at $499 one way in Economy, while the flight to Vietnam will begin at $699 each way. Business class will also be offered on both routes.
Arkia last flew to Thailand in 2017 and will be competing against El Al on the popular Far East route. The airline said it will also resume flying to Sri Lanka next year on the seasonal route.
“The move aims to place Arkia on par with major international airlines and to establish the company’s position both in the transatlantic arena and in the Far East, which is very popular with Israelis,” Berlowitz said.
Thai Ambassador to Israel Boonyarit Vichienpuntu noted that Thailand is the second most popular long-haul flight destination for Israelis after the United States, with some 400,000 Israelis visiting the Thai capital last year.
Nearly 50,000 Thai workers are also employed in Israel, mainly in agriculture, he said.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Ly Duc Trung said that the inauguration of flights to Hanoi will strengthen bilateral ties at a time when a free trade agreement is in effect between the two countries.
“Israelis are clamoring to travel to Thailand and Vietnam in record numbers,” Mark Feldman, CEO of Jerusalem’s Ziontours, told JNS, noting that the region is one of the few areas where there has been little antisemitism or pro-Palestinian protests.
“El Al is trying to cope with the demand but having additional Israeli airlines will find eager clientele who prefer to fly non-stop rather than connect in the United Arab Emirates,” he said. “Combining both the exotic and a completely different travel experience, we expect huge growth to these coveted areas this winter.”
