Now boarding: New flights to Paraguay and Lapland
Spanish airline Air Europa will open a new line of flights from Tel Aviv to Asunción through Madrid; Kishrey Teufa company will offer flights to Lapland.
The effect of this move on the Israeli public is that passengers traveling to Paraguay will be spared at least one of the stops they had to make previously. Currently, the only way to reach the airport in Asunción, the country's capital city, was through at least two stops – one in Europe and another in America. In addition, flight prices on the new line are expected to be lower than those for existing flights, at least early on.
Air Europa plans on operating two weekly flights from Madrid to Asunción, on Sundays and Wednesdays. The flights will leave Madrid at 23:45. The return flights are planned for Mondays at 14:00 and Thursdays at 12:00 noon. The flights will take place on Airbus A300/A200 planes, with ticket prices for a Tel Aviv to Asunción flight starting at $1,178 for an economy class seat, and $2,808 for a business class seat. The layovers in Madrid, for flights in both directions, will be between two and 3.5 hours long.
Nissim Sagis, VP Commercial of TAL Aviation Group, which represents Air Europa in Israel, stated that the company decided to fly to Asunción due to the high demand for flights to Paraguay by young Israelis going on nature treks, as well as by businesspeople, who's need to travel to the country has increased following the rise in trade between it and European nations. Sagis said: "There's been a 12% increase in the number of people traveling to from Israel to South America this year, compared to last".
Air Europa offers full accommodations on its flights: Ticket prices include baggage handling and a warm meal. The company also has a number of boutique wines on offer from 26 of Spain's most famous vineyards, in-flight newspapers and magazines, and early booking and check-in services.
In a related matter, Israeli travel company Kishrey Teufa announced that it would begin operating direct flights to Lapland, via the El Al subsidiary Sundor. The flights will be marketed as part of a travel package that includes a week's stay in a hotel and tickets to attractions, with prices starting at €1,990 per person.
