Air Haifa airline. Photo: timesofisrael
The new Israeli airline Air Haifa successfully completed its first commercial flight on September 30. The ATR 72-600 aircraft took off from Ben Gurion International Airport and landed at Ramon International Airport near Eilat. While the company’s home base is Haifa Airport, all flights have been temporarily moved to Ben Gurion due to security concerns caused by the ongoing war. This was reported by vesty.
Air Haifa recently received its operating license from the Israeli Ministry of Transport, allowing it to start scheduled flights. Currently, the airline operates two daily flights – from the central part of Israel to Eilat and back. As part of a special promotion, one-way tickets are priced at 99 shekels, excluding luggage fees. This offer will last until Yom Kippur (October 11), after which ticket prices will increase.
If the security situation improves after Yom Kippur, Air Haifa plans to begin operations from Haifa Airport. The first flight from Haifa to Eilat is scheduled for October 13, with the inaugural flight to Cyprus planned for October 14. Promotional fares from Haifa to Eilat will be 139 shekels one-way, and tickets to Cyprus will cost 64 dollars.
Luggage costs for flights to Eilat are 30 shekels for small carry-ons and 60 shekels for checked luggage. For flights to Cyprus, carry-on bags will cost 15 dollars, and checked luggage will cost 30 dollars.
The ATR 72-600 is a modern aircraft built by the French-Italian ATR consortium. With 72 passenger seats, this model will be used for the first time by an Israeli airline. However, due to Haifa’s short runway, measuring only 1326 meters, the airport can only accommodate smaller planes.
Air Haifa was founded by a group of Israeli entrepreneurs led by well-known restaurateur and investor Nir Zuk. The team includes several business executives who previously held high-ranking positions at El Al, Israel’s national airline, including Gonen Usishkin, El Al’s CEO from 2020-2021, who has now been appointed CEO of Air Haifa.
