Competition over flights from Israel to Asia is heating up, with Arkia announcing Tuesday that it will launch a new direct route to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, on January 3, 2027. The airline will initially operate one weekly flight, on Sundays, using an Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft operated by Bulgarian carrier GullivAir. Economy fares will start at $750 one way.
The move gives Arkia a head start over El Al, which announced in February that it also plans to launch nonstop flights to Manila but has yet to publish a start date.
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Crystal-clear water and white sand. Welcome to the Philippines
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For now, Arkia’s route will operate for only four months, from January through April 2027. Flights from Ben Gurion Airport will depart on Sunday afternoons, while return flights from Manila will leave Monday mornings. Arkia said the outbound flight will take about 11 hours, while the return journey will last about 12 hours and 20 minutes.
The timing is also aimed squarely at one of the most popular periods for travel in the Philippines. The country’s dry season generally runs from December through May, according to the local weather service, with December through February typically cooler and drier before temperatures begin rising in March. The rainy season usually runs from June through November, though conditions can vary considerably across the Philippines’ thousands of islands.
There are currently no regular nonstop flights between Israel and Manila, meaning travelers to the Philippines must make at least one connection. Arkia’s new service would eliminate that stopover, though capacity will initially remain limited at just one flight a week.
The route will be operated on a GullivAir Airbus A330 configured with 268 economy seats and 19 business-class seats. Economy fares will start at $750 one way, while business-class tickets will begin at $1,800 one way.
A busy street in Manila, the Philippines
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An aerial view of El Nido in northern Palawan, the Philippines
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The announcement puts Arkia ahead of El Al in the race to launch direct flights to Manila. El Al said in February that it planned to add the Philippine capital to its Asian network with three weekly Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights, but it has yet to announce a launch date or fares.
If both airlines follow through on their plans, Israel and the Philippines could go from having no direct air connection to seeing two Israeli carriers compete on the route within a relatively short period. Under the schedule Arkia has now published, it would be the first to take off, though its initial approach is relatively cautious, with a seasonal service and just one weekly flight.
The Manila announcement comes as activity at Ben Gurion Airport continues to expand. Wizz Air said Monday it would add 46 weekly flights from Tel Aviv by restoring five routes and increasing frequencies on 11 others. Delta Air Lines has already resumed flights between New York and Tel Aviv, while United Airlines is expected to resume its Newark service Tuesday with two daily flights.
Israir is also scheduled to launch its new New York route on September 15, while Scandinavian carrier SAS is expected to return to Ben Gurion Airport on October 26 with four weekly flights to Copenhagen.
Arkia CEO Oz Berlowitz said the Manila route is part of the airline’s broader expansion in the Far East. “Opening the new route will create real competition and bring better prices to Israeli consumers.”