Promoting the opening of direct flights between Israel and Vietnam

Photo caption — Ambassador Ly Duc Trung and spokesman of Arkia Airlines at the press conference announcing Arkia Airlines' direct flight route Tel Aviv - Hanoi . Photo: VNA

At the meeting, Ms. Sapir Ifergan highly appreciated the potential and prospects of the Vietnamese market, in Akia's business strategy of expanding aviation cooperation as well as opening flights to the East (Asia region).

Accordingly, Arkia Airlines plans to open a direct flight route from Israel to Vietnam and the first flight is expected to be launched on January 5, 2026 from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv to Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi. In the immediate future, according to the pilot plan, for the flight schedule in the first 6 months of next year, Arkia will maintain a flight frequency of 1 flight/week from January to June 2026 (in March 2026, the airline may increase the flight frequency to 2 flights/week, because it is the time of many holidays in Israel, so the airline expects the number of Israeli tourists to increase), using wide-body aircraft with a capacity of about 290 seats.

Currently, Arkia has started selling tickets on its website and through its network of agents. Depending on the time of booking, ticket prices range from about 1,000 USD/way for economy class (including 8 kg of carry-on baggage and 32 kg of checked baggage) and about 2,500 USD/way for business class. Because it has to fly out towards the Red Sea and down through the Arabian Peninsula (not yet allowed to fly over the airspace of Arab countries), each flight is expected to last about 11 hours and 34 minutes, departing from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv at 00:05 midnight (local time) and arriving at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi at 16:40 the following day; In March 2026 alone, in addition to the regular flight, the airline will add one more flight each week departing at 5:30 a.m. from Tel Aviv and arriving in Hanoi at 10:05 p.m. on the same day. On the return flight, the flight will last nearly 12 hours, departing from Noi Bai airport at 7:40 p.m. and landing at Ben Gurion airport at 2:25 a.m. (local time).

Arkia Airlines' leaders requested the Trade Office to introduce and connect the airline with Vietnamese partners operating in the field of air transport, especially Vietnamese airline ticket agents or travel agencies, so that the two sides can establish business cooperation relationships; at the same time, requested the Trade Office to maintain regular contact to continue supporting Arkia in expanding cooperation with the Vietnamese market in the coming time.

Mr. Le Thai Hoa, Trade Counselor of the Embassy in Israel, welcomed and highly appreciated Arkia's plan to open a direct flight route to Vietnam with a specific flight schedule; said that he is always ready to actively support and connect Arkia with suitable Vietnamese partners so that all parties can seek mutually beneficial business cooperation opportunities. Currently, Vietnam not only attracts investors and manufacturers around the world thanks to the development of the manufacturing and processing industry, attracting foreign investment and strongly exporting high-tech products such as electronics, telecommunications, computers, etc., but is also in the process of strong integration and is on the way to becoming an important production center, a strategic link in the global supply chain.

The Vietnamese market has become an attractive destination for many foreign investors, entrepreneurs, traders, buyers, and tourists, including Israeli partners. In recent times, economic relations, trade exchanges, and investment cooperation between Vietnam and Israel have continuously developed positively. In the context of the local market still facing many difficulties and instabilities, the Vietnam - Israel Bilateral Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect in mid-November 2024, has created a strong impetus for cooperative relations between the two sides. Many Israeli businesses, investors, buyers, and tourists are interested in the market and actively come to Vietnam to seek business partners as well as to visit, relax, and enjoy life. In 2024, trade between the two countries will reach 3.247 billion USD; of which, Vietnam's exports will reach 794.6 million USD and imports will reach 2.452 billion USD. In the first 10 months of 2025, Vietnam's exports to Israel reached 704.3 million USD, up 4.1%, and imports from this market reached 2.368 billion USD, up 22.9% over the same period last year. It is estimated that in the whole year of 2025, bilateral trade will reach about 3.70 billion USD, of which Vietnam's exports will reach about 880 million USD, up 10.75% over 2024, and imports will reach about 2.82 billion USD. Regarding investment cooperation, to date, Israel has invested 155.90 million USD in Vietnam, with 45 projects; conversely, Vietnam's investment in Israel has reached 78.25 million USD. People of each country always want to have the opportunity to travel to visit each other.

Once the flight route is launched as planned, Arkia will be the first Israeli airline to open a direct flight to Vietnam. The opening of the direct flight route will be a concrete event to realize the cooperation content stated in the Protocol signed on December 21, 2020 on amending the Air Transport Cooperation Agreement between the two countries, as well as opening a new chapter in the field of tourism cooperation between the two sides. The direct flight route contributes to facilitating the travel of businesses, traders, investors, buyers, tourists and people between the two countries, enhancing understanding and contributing to further promoting multifaceted cooperation between the two sides.

Arkia is one of three traditional airlines in Israel (excluding the private Air Haifa airline that was newly established in 2023). Along with the national airline El Al, which was founded in 1948, and the private airline Israir, which was founded in 1989, Arkia is the first private airline founded in 1949 and has a flight network to more than 32 destinations, mainly focusing on cities in Europe (such as London, Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg, Munich, Rome, Milan, Venice, Amsterdam, Geneva, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Barcelona, Lisbon, Athens...) and New York in the US.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/thuc-day-mo-duong-bay-thang-giua-israel-va-viet-nam-20251113061811617.htm