The direct El Al line to Tokyo was inaugurated on March 1st, 2023, in a festive ceremony at El Al’s King David Lounge in the presence of the Minister of Tourism – Haim Katz, the Japanese Ambassador to Israel – Mizushima Koichi, Director of the National Airport of Israel – Udi Bar Oz, and the CEO of El A – Dina Ben Tal Ganancia.

The flight that took with about 230 passengers and crew members and was about 11.5 hours long. The launch of the line to Tokyo foreshadows Israel’s connection to Japanese culture and allows the Japanese people to be exposed to and get to know Israeli culture.

Tourism Minister Haim Katz said at the ceremony: “Japan is an important country for Israel. We have a long-standing friendship. The opening of direct flights is another important milestone in relations between Israel and Japan. Tourism is a significant source of income for the economy and direct flights are the key to increasing tourism and economic ties between the countries. Therefore, I hope that El Al’s flights will be full and will increase the number of tourists in both directions and strengthen economic relations”.

The CEO of El Al, Dina Ben Tal Ganancia, said: “At the beginning of the week, we made history when an El Al plane with the Israeli flag on its tail flew over Oman and shortened the way to the East, and today we send the first El Al flight to Tokyo. We invite everyone to enjoy the beauty of Japan and encourage the tourists from Japan to come here and experience All the beauty that Israel has to offer. We will continue to work to connect Israel to the rest of the world and open more destinations to the Israeli public”.