Arkia airline wishes to operate direct routes to two new destinations this year: Goa and Sri Lanka

Arkia wishes to operate direct routes to two new destinations this year: Goa and Sri Lanka. On Thursday, Arkia officially announced that a new flight route to Goa will begin operating in November. The frequency of flights will be once a week, on Wednesdays, on a shortened flight route that will last less than 5.5 hours of flight time.
The flights will be on Airbus A320neo planes, a more advanced version of the common passenger plane Airbus A320 - which is also more fuel efficient. Flight prices will start from $549 round trip.
In the past, Arkia operated a direct route to Goa with a flight that lasted 8.5 hours. This line stopped operating with the outbreak of the corona epidemic, and has not been restored since then. Last July, Saudi Arabia announced that it would open its airspace to all airlines that meet the required conditions - a decision that affected Israeli airlines.
The move shortens the flight hours to destinations in the East, and makes it possible to reach destinations as far away as Australia directly from Israel, and also frees up flight hours and aircraft availability. Immediately after the Saudi announcement, Arkia announced that the opening of the skies would lead to the addition of destinations to the Far East - and that it was considering opening the destinations of Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Now Sri Lanka is also on the agenda - and Arkie wants to operate a direct line there already in September, in preparation for the Tishrei holidays. However, the operation of the line is still not final, since according to Arkie there are still political and security barriers on the part of the government in Sri Lanka. These days talks are taking place between the administration and the Israeli Ministry of Transport on the subject.
The CEO of Arcia International, Oz Berlowitz, presented the considerations behind the opening of the new routes: "India, and Goa in particular, is one of the most favorite destinations for Israelis. There are amazing resorts there that are suitable not only for young people but also for families, and everything there is very cheap.
"In the past we flew to Goa on a flight that lasted about 8 hours, bypassing the Gulf of Suez. Now, the agreements with Saudi Arabia and Oman shorten our journey to 5.5 hours, like a flight to London. It also saves costs and fuel, so we can offer flights at a low price More".
According to Berlovitz, "Sri Lanka has been on our agenda for a long time, but so far it has encountered roadblocks. Recently there was a delegation of civil and security officials there, which may allow the opening soon. The agreements with Saudi Arabia and Oman shortened the flight there too, to 6 hours only (compared to 9 in the past), and made the direct flight a realistic destination. Already today there are tens of thousands of Israelis who fly there a year, mainly young people and surfing enthusiasts. I believe that more Israelis will discover the place after the line opens."