El Al returned to the Tel Aviv–Eilat route on Tuesday for the first time in more than a decade, operating its inaugural flight with a Boeing 737 aircraft. The service landed at Ramon Airport, where a brief ceremony marked the occasion.
Those in attendance included El Al CEO Dina Ben Tal Ganancia, Israel Airports Authority CEO Sharon Kedmi, Eilat Mayor Eli Lankri and members of Ramon Airport management.
The airline is scheduled to operate two daily flights between Tel Aviv and Eilat, one in the morning and one in the evening. Fares begin at NIS 139. Residents of Eilat and the Eilot region are eligible for a subsidized rate of NIS 99.
The new service joins a network of approximately 30 daily aircraft movements at Ramon Airport. These include Air Haifa’s morning flight and about 15 combined flights operated by Arkia Israel Airlines and Israir Airlines.
'An important development for the southern city'
Transportation and Road Safety Minister Miri Regev welcomed the development, saying El Al’s return to the southern city was “an important development for the southern city and for Israel’s tourism economy.”
“Eilat is Israel’s southern gateway, and strengthening its accessibility is a key part of the ‘Connecting Israel’ policy I lead,” Regev said. “We will continue to promote competition and lower ticket prices, increase flight frequency, and strengthen Eilat’s connectivity to all parts of the country.”