Three years after the scheduled date, which was postponed again and again due to the corona epidemic, El Al's maiden flight took off tonight (Wednesday) to the capital of Japan, Tokyo.
Before the take-off, a ceremony was held in which the Minister of Tourism Haim Katz, the Japanese Ambassador to Israel and the CEO of El Al participated.
The timing of the maiden flight comes during the most sought-after season of the year in Japan - the cherry blossoms that will begin there in about two and a half weeks.
El Al chose the company's Dreamliner aircraft to make the historic flight to the distant destination.
The flight includes about 230 passengers and crew members, and is about 11.5 hours long.
Minister of Tourism Haim Katz, Ambassador of Japan to Israel and CEO of El Al, photo: PR
Tourism Minister Haim Katz, who joined the flight, 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 relations Tourism and economy 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 Japanese ambassador to Israel, Mizushima Koichi, said: "It is an honor for me to be here. First of all, I express my condolences to the families of the victims of the Hawara attack. Japan condemns all terrorism and hopes that the government will be able to reach agreements that will calm the spirits. I am happy to witness the history that is happening today, and after the gift of A quarter of a century since the agreement between the countries was signed, despite the many challenges, El Al is making the dream come true and I congratulate all concerned on this achievement."
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The plane that took off for Japan, photo: Koko
The ambassador also said that "Japan has a history of tradition and culture and many and varied tourist sites. I hope that the flights will open up a world of pleasures, I promise that Japan will not disappoint you and invite you to discover Japan for yourself."
At the end of his speech, the ambassador wished congratulations and success in Hebrew.
The CEO of El Al, Dina Ben Tal Gnansia, 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 route to the east, and today we are sending the first El Al flight to Tokyo.
This is a historic day.
Three years ago, everything was already ready for flight, and we had to cancel along with all the flights after the aviation world went into silence."
The cherry blossoms in Japan, photo: AP
The CEO of El Al also said that "to be here today, three years later and to launch the flight to Tokyo is a victory.
We are proud to be here and happy that new opportunities have opened up for us with the permission to fly over Oman.
invites everyone to enjoy the beauty of Japan and encourages 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."
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