Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz on Tuesday (January 28) announced that direct flights between Mumbai and Tel Aviv are expected to launch in early March. Katz, who is in India to strengthen bilateral ties and promote tourism, revealed that he is in discussions with Air India to initiate the service.
“I met the CEO of Air India and he told me that he will work towards starting direct flights from Mumbai to Tel Aviv soon. The direct flight from Delhi to Tel Aviv is going to start in the beginning of March. I am making all the pushes needed to bring direct flight from Mumbai to Tel Aviv by Air India and by the Israeli airline, EI AI, as well. Tourism is very important for the economy,” Katz told reporters.
The minister emphasised that tourism plays a vital role in both countries’ economies, and he aims to increase bilateral tourism flows. During his visit, Katz also inaugurated the “Magen Hassidim Synagogue” in Mumbai, part of the “Jewish Route” initiative, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai and the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC).
Kobbi Shoshani, the Israeli Consul General in Mumbai, highlighted the growing community of Israelis in India and expressed his hope for more Indians to visit Israel.
“We would like to see more and more Indians coming to visit Israel, as much as the Israelis going to visit India. There are a lot of Israelis here in India, and we would also like to see Indians going back to Israel, to enjoy the culinary delights in the restaurants of Tel Aviv, the beaches, of course Jerusalem, the ancient Haifa, the Dead Sea,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)