First international flight departs from Haifa Airport
After a long hiatus, an international flight took off from Haifa Airport on Thursday – for the first time since 2019. A Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft operated by Universal Air, based in Malta, departed for Paphos in Cyprus with 37 passengers and four crew members on board.
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The flights are marketed by Israeli airlines Israir and Issta, and the route includes three daily flights, six days a week. They are expected to operate until the end of the Jewish High Holidays in September.
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A Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft departed from Haifa Airport for Paphos in Cyprus with 37 passengers and four crew members on board
(Photo: Daniel Salami)
And the prices? A boarding ticket, including taxes and a 7 kg trolley, will start at $249 per person, and a vacation package for three nights in a hotel will start at $490 per person.
Haifa Airport has only one takeoff runway of about 1,200 meters, which severely limits the types of planes that can operate there, and; therefore, flights to Cyprus will operate on small planes that do not require a long takeoff runway.
Haifa Airport has been considered a possible option to become a complementary airport to Ben Gurion Airport or as an additional airport, with the possibility of extending its runway toward the shore to accommodate larger aircraft for flights to the Eastern Mediterranean islands and nearby destinations in the Mediterranean Basin.
Haifa’s mayor, Einat Kalisch-Rotem, who took part in the inaugural flight, said that "I have to see it to believe it. It's a very exciting day. I’ve been working for 12 years for Haifa Airport to expand and connect Haifa with Europe. COVID-19 delayed our plans, and I’m happy that we’ve resumed operations with plans to expand activity further."
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Passengers wait to board their plane at the terminal at Haifa Airport
(Photo: Daniel Salami)
Kalisch-Rotem added, "This airport can’t become a second Ben Gurion Airport. This airport can accommodate up to five million passengers per year, and it's something that can serve the entire population of northern Israel. That's how we should approach it.”
Armond Harush, a passenger who arrived at the airport from Kiryat Bialik, said “I’ve been waiting for this for years, I used to fly from here a lot. It’s very comfortable and convenient for Israelis living in the north.”
"We hope that we’ll be able to board longer flights from this airport as well,” Harush added. “You can save a lot of time flying from this airport."
Tali Noy, sales and marketing vice president for Issta travel company, said that "flights from Haifa Airport will significantly shorten the way to vacation for residents living in northern Israel. People will get away from the busy traffic and queues on the way to Ben Gurion Airport, and passengers will be able to arrive at the airport an hour and a half before takeoff and enjoy free parking."