El Al Israel Airlines’ leisure brand Sun d’Or will commence flights to Belgrade this coming summer season with the carrier to launch a three weekly service between Tel Aviv and the Serbian capital. Flights will commence on April 1, and initially run twice per week, on Mondays and Fridays, before increasing to three weekly from May 7. Services will be maintained with a mix of wet-leased 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft and the airline’s own 189-seat Boeing 737-800 jets in an all-economy class layout. Further flight details can be found here. Tickets can now be purchased through El Al’s website. Sun d’Or is present in the former Yugoslavia, operating this coming summer to Ljubljana, Zagreb and Tivat.
El Al last maintained flights to Belgrade in late 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, when Serbia and Israel created a travel bubble for Israeli nationals, enabling them to visit Serbia without restrictions. Although the travel corridor itself was short-lived, it saw Israeli carriers maintain several daily flights to the Serbian capital. Currently, Tel Aviv and Belgrade are linked through a three weekly Arkia service. The airline has also scheduled flights on the route throughout the coming summer season. El Al's Vice President for Commercial and Industry Affairs, Shlomi Zafrany, said, “Among Israelis there is a growing need to get out and come up for air by traveling around the world. However, there is a strong negative effect on incoming tourism. We estimate that it will continue into 2024. We do see that there is segmented inbound tourism - family visits, Jewish communities from around the world, new immigrants, but it is likely that we will not see groups of Christian pilgrims coming to Jerusalem”.
Air Serbia suspended operations to Tel Aviv last October as the security situation in Israel began to deteriorate. Although it initially scheduled its return for December and then January, it has now deferred the route’s resumption until April 1, when it plans to restore four weekly flights between the two cities. The ongoing war in Gaza has dramatically changed Israel's tourism and aviation sector with almost all foreign airlines having halted flights to Tel Aviv. Only a handful of airlines including Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Flydubai, Uzbekistan Airways, Hainan Airlines, Azimuth Airline and Red Wings, have continued flying to Israel. The situation is gradually changing. This week, Lufthansa Group carriers including Lufthansa itself, as well as Swiss and Austrian Airlines resumed flights to Tel Aviv, while Air France, Bulgaria Air, LOT, Vueling, Transavia and TUS Airways have all announced they are resuming services in the coming weeks. However, a number of carriers are yet to schedule their return onto the Israeli market. They include easyJet, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Delta, United Airlines and American Airlines.
Nice so 10 weekly flights this summer between TLV and BEG
ReplyDelete15 weekly. You forgot Arkia.
DeleteNo, he is correct
DeleteAir Serbia - 4
Arkia - 3
Sun D'or - 3
I've noticed quite a few Israeli tourists lately in Belgrade. I guess they are coming with Israir.
ReplyDeleteYes.
DeleteNumbers aren't that great though that might change with more flights.
DeleteIsraeli arrivals
January-November: 14.481 (+10.2%)
November: 579 (-16.9%)
This is less than, for example Spain, which had 18.821 tourists visit Serbia in the first 11 months. I know that Spain is much larger but Serbia invested a lot more in Israel so numbers should be better. They are still below where they were before covid.
Travel from Israel is generally down everywhere due to the current situation.
DeleteIndeed which is why I wrote below that I think a large number of passengers onboard will be Israelis who moved their businesses and family to Belgrade.
DeleteI bet thatThey feel safer in Belgrade than in Western cities
DeleteIf I were Jewish I would not feel safe in places like Neukoln in Berlin or anywhere in Brussels.
DeleteWho are they wetleasing the A320 from?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Tus Airways ( Cyprus) but they are also with israeli owners.
DeleteNot sure who they are wet leasing the A320s but I know they wet lease 737-800s from Smartwings.
DeleteCool
ReplyDeleteArkia is also bringing back the third weekly flight in March. In summer they plan 2 weekly but that might change. If it stays like this then BEG-TLV will be 5 weekly which isn't bad.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised JU is not resuming flights earlier considering they were one of the last airlines to stop flights to Tel Aviv.
ReplyDeleteIt is questionable how much demand there is now.
DeleteTill end of 2024 all airlines will resume ops to Tel Aviv.
ReplyDeleteReally?
DeleteInteresting they use El Al designator code.
ReplyDeleteBecause it is the same airline, like the article says it is just an El Al brand. Sun dOr is exactly the same as Aviolet was to Air Serbia.
DeleteGood job. Let's see if Israir remains though.
ReplyDeleteWe will see what happens as the Israeli economy isn't doing all too well. I think a lot of this demand has to do with Israeli companies operating in Serbia and many of them relocating their families here. I think there is generally more O&D demand than before.
ReplyDeleteGood thing is that these flights will operate when BEG is not very busy. I suppose the airport encouraged them to avoid busy periods. I am curious to see who will handle their flights and if they will require extra security on the ground.
Can you buy the Israir tickets online as well or is it just through tour operators? Good to see that you can buy tickets for these flights to El Al.
ReplyDeleteYes. EL AL sells these flights on their website. Return fare without luggage comes out to be $260.
DeleteI know El al does, but I meant Israir :)
DeleteMy bad, sorry. I just checked and Israir doesn't even offer BEG on their website. I doubt we will see them resume flights as it's quite crowded with three airlines flying between BEG and TLV. The market is not that big.
DeleteIsrair does fly to Belgrade 3x per week, flight IZ387/388. They just don't sell tickets through the website becuase they are sold through tour operstors
DeleteI think that's Arkia.
Delete09:36 That's literally Arkia.
DeleteFunnily enough, ages ago when Serbia decided to start attracting Israeli tourists, it was Arkia that was initially bringing them. I remember they even used to send the B753 on some days. I see that even now, from time to time, they send the A321neo. They do have a nice livery though.
DeleteHmm and a certain analyst claimed that all airlines have finalized their summer schedules and that BEG won't see a single new route.
ReplyDeleteWonder who could that be?
DeleteNice to hear but ill wait a few more years before visiting Israel again. The počitical situation there was bad enough prior to the Gaza war.
ReplyDeleteAnd I still prefer to fly out of Nis unless I fly to North America.
I fly from BEG as it offers a better experience than INI.
DeleteHopefully the počitical situation improves soon.
DeleteWhat's with the chicken on the tail?
ReplyDeleteIt's the chicken from their Eurovision song
DeleteMust have missed that one
DeleteIZ387 is running 2/week. Also Aegean Airlines and blueBird Airways have returned to TLV, on March TUS Air will return.
ReplyDeleteIt is three weekly from 22 Jan.
DeleteTLV-BEG
Monday and Wednesday 0700 0910
Friday 0620 0830
Any idea about the schedule for Ljubljana? I can't find it anywhere
ReplyDeleteFlights resume June 4, initially once per week, increasing to two weekly from June 19. Tickets are available for purchase through El Al's website.
DeleteGreat news
ReplyDeleteThe more new airlines the better
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteFares are quite good
ReplyDeleteHow many airlines will serve BEG this summer at this moment?
ReplyDelete26 scheduled flights
Delete26. If Jazeera returns for another year then 27.
DeleteI don't see them returning
DeleteThanks
DeleteUnfortunately I also think Jazeera is gone for good. They started cutting frequencies in August which is never a good sign. If QR keeps their evening flights then it will be rather good compensation for Jazeera's departure.
Delete