A Red Wings flight from Moscow landed at Ilan & Asaf Ramon Airport in southern Israel on Thursday, marking the launch of a new direct route between the Russian capital and Israel’s southern gateway—the first such flight since 2020.
The route is the result of a joint effort by the Eilat Municipality, the Tourism Ministry, the Transportation Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, the Israel Airports Authority, and the Eilat Hotel Association.
Eilat’s mayor, Eli Lankri, arrived on the inaugural flight from Moscow, having traveled there with a professional delegation from the city. Their visit included meetings with travel agents, airline representatives, and Russian government officials.
“Renewing this route from Moscow is a bridge of hope,” said Lankri. “It sends a clear message to the world: Eilat is alive, open, safe, and ready to welcome everyone back. The tourists arriving with us today are just the first wave on the path to normalcy—for the city and for the country, both of which are eager for movement, renewed confidence, and prosperity.”
During the visit, Eilat’s delegation presented its preparations for welcoming Russian tourists. These include a Russian-language digital landing page, multilingual signage and services, Russian menus in restaurants, hotel promotions, and unique cultural events.
Lankri also met with the deputy head of Moscow’s Foreign Relations Department, and the two discussed expanding cooperation in smart cities, education, tourism, and innovation. The Eilat delegation was invited to a formal gala dedicated to the southern Israeli city, hosted by Moscow’s local tourism authority in partnership with Israel’s Ambassador to Russia, Simona Halperin. The event was attended by hundreds of Russian travel industry representatives.
Danny Shahar, director-general of the Tourism Ministry, said: “Russia remains an important market for us. The opening of the route to Eilat is the result of sustained investment, and we’re already seeing renewed interest. We're working to expand operations to more destinations—especially in Europe.”
Russian tourists face tighter restrictions in Europe
Since Russia expanded its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union has suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Moscow, making it significantly more difficult and expensive for Russian citizens to obtain travel visas. Several EU countries, such as the Czech Republic, have halted the issuance of tourist visas altogether except in rare humanitarian cases. Others, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, have closed their borders entirely to Russian citizens, even those holding valid Schengen visas.
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The new route to Ramon Airport will operate weekly flights from both Moscow and Sochi using Sukhoi Superjet aircraft with 200 seats. Roundtrip flights from Moscow to Ramon start at $877, not including checked baggage. For those flying in the opposite direction—from Ramon to Moscow—fares start at $855. Vacation packages for Russian tourists range between 2,000 and 6,000 shekels.
Two additional airlines are currently in talks to join the initiative, and the number of flights could increase in the near future.
Despite its state-of-the-art facilities and the capacity to handle up to 2.5 million passengers annually, Ramon Airport currently serves primarily domestic routes—mainly Tel Aviv–Eilat and occasionally Haifa–Eilat. In practice, it handles only a few hundred thousand passengers per year, mostly Israeli tourists flying with airlines such as Arkia, Israir, and Air Haifa.