EL AL has agreed to begin nonstop service between Tel Aviv and Melbourne after signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the Victorian government.

According to the terms of the agreement, the two organisations will cooperate to launch the service by June 2024 to provide three weekly flights and 44,000 annual seats.

Dina Ben Tal Ganancia, CEO of EL AL, and Ben Carroll, Minister of Industry and Innovation, signed the Letter Of Intent.

“We look forward to launching our first nonstop flights to Melbourne as we position Victoria as Israel’s gateway to Australia,” says El Al CEO Dina Ben Tal Ganancia, outlining plans for three Boeing 787 Dreamliner services per week on the 15-hour route.

EL AL had planned to begin operating a test programme between Tel Aviv and Melbourne in 2020; however, the introduction of these flights was delayed until 2021 because of the emergence of Covid-19.

Commenting on the news Quotes, attributable Ben Carroll said:

“We’re partnering with EL AL, Israel’s national airline, to back direct flights between Melbourne and Tel Aviv to strengthen business connections and create jobs locally.

“More international flights to such an important trading partner will power our economy and boost our status as a key destination for tourism, trade and investment,” says Victoria’s Minister for Industry and Innovation, Ben Carroll, who estimates the airline will deliver a $48 million annual boost to the state’s economy.

Israel is also an important market for our international education sector, with 45 percent of Israeli students in Australia enrolled in Victorian institutions in 2019.