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| Founded | 1949 | |||
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| Hubs | Ben Gurion International Airport | |||
| Focus cities | Sde Dov Airport, Eilat Airport, Ovda International Airport |
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| Fleet size | 13 (+5 orders) | |||
| Destinations | 18 | |||
| Parent company | Kanaf-Arkia Airlines Jordache Enterprises |
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| Headquarters | Tel Aviv, Israel | |||
| Key people | Avi Nakash-Owner | |||
| Website | http://www.arkia.com/ | |||
Arkia Israel Airlines (Hebrew: ארקיע, I will soar), usually referred to as Arkia is an airline based at Tel Aviv - Ben Gurion International Airport (Israel). It is Israel's second largest airline operating scheduled domestic and international services as well as charter flights to destinations in Western Europe and across the Mediterranean. Arkia also operates a significant number of flights out of Tel Aviv - Sde Dov Airport, Eilat, and Ovda International Airport.[1]
Arkia was founded in 1949 as Israel Inland Airlines when it became clear that there was demand for a local airline to connect Tel Aviv with different regions of the new nation of Israel, especially with Eilat, Israel's important seaport on the Gulf of Aqaba.[2] Flights started in 1950 with De Havilland DH.89 aircraft, followed by Douglas DC-3s, to inter-connect major towns in Israel from Rosh Pina in the North to the port of Eilat in the South.[2] El Al held a 50% stake in the airline at this time with Histadrut, Israel's labour federation, being the other shareholder.[3] The airline later adopted the name Eilata Airlines - Aviron, and Arkia Israel Airlines. In its first year of service, Israel Inland Airlines carried 13,485 passengers, using a Curtis Commando.[2]
During the 1950s, the airline continued to grow, upgrading its fleet to the larger DC-3, and operating two flights a day on the Tel Aviv<>Eilat route.[2] This allowed them to have annual passenger figures of over 70,000.[2] As Eilat continued to grow during the 1960s, so did Arkia, introducing the Handley Page Dart Herald series 200 jet propeller aircraft to its fleet between 1967–1968, enabling Arkia to expand with new routes to Jerusalem, Sharm-el-Sheikh, and Santa Caterina.[2] A subsidiary, Kanaf Arkia Airline and Aviation Services was founded as the airline acquired 50% of the stock of Kanaf Airlines and Aviation Services and, by the end of the 1960s, scheduled flights were in operation across Israel, from Rosh Pina in the north, to Ofira in the south.[2]
In March 1980, Kanaf Arkia acquired the remaining stock of Arkia and merged the two operators. The airline grew quickly during the 1980s, moving both into the international charter market and airline maintenance. The airline is now owned by Kanaf-Arkia Airlines (75%) and airline employees (25%). In 2006, the Nakash brothers of Jordache Enterprises, bought Knafaim's 75% share.[2]
In February 2007, the Israeli Tourism Ministry awarded Arkia a scheduled operator licence for flights to Larnaca (Cyprus), a destination dropped by EL AL, and to Dublin (Ireland).[4] In July 2007, it emerged that the airline planned to file for further scheduled carrier status on routes to New York City and Bangkok, currently served under charter status.[5] Furthermore, in early 2008, after the Israeli Tourism Ministry opened up the airline market, the airline applied for scheduled carrier status for routes to Barcelona, Berlin, Moscow, and Paris. The licence for Paris was granted in February 2008, and the airline announced that, on this route, both economy and business class would be offered. At this time, the airline also announced that it would add two Boeing 737 aircraft to its fleet within two years, plus four Boeing 787 aircraft it had on order.[6]
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Destinations
Arkia operates scheduled services to the following destinations:
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Copenhagen - Copenhagen Airport [seasonal]
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ireland
- Cork - Cork Airport [seasonal]
- Dublin - Dublin Airport [seasonal]
- Israel
- Jordan
- Poland
- Spain
- Sweden
- Stockholm - Stockholm-Arlanda Airport [seasonal]
- Ukraine
Additionally, the airline operates holiday charter services to destinations across Europe.[citation needed]
Incidents and Accidents
On November 28, 2002, approximately 20 minutes before the Kenyan hotel bombing occurred, two anti-aircraft missiles narrowly missed an Arkia Boeing 757 shortly after take-off from Moi International Airport in Mombasa, (Kenya). The plane was able to land safely in Tel Aviv.[7][8]
Fleet
The Arkia Israeli Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft (as of 27 July 2009):[1][9]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Seats | Haul | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 72 | 4 | 0 | 72 | Short Haul | 4X-AVU, 4X-AVW, 4X-AVX, 4X-AVZ |
| Boeing 757-300 | 2 | 0 | 265 | Medium Haul | 4X-BAU, 4X-BAW |
| Boeing 787-9 | 0 | 4 | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 7 | 5 | 0 | 50 | Short Haul | 4X-AHA, 4X-AHF, 4X-AHG, 4X-AHH, 4X-AHJ |
| Embraer E-195 | 1 | 1 | 122 | Medium Haul | 4X-EMA |
| Total | 12 | 5 | |||
References
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International: p. 77. 2007-03-27.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "About Arkia". Arkia Israel Airlines. http://www.arkia.co.il/site2con/eng/about_new.html. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ "AL/Tran25.htm EL AL, the Israeli Airline". US Centennial of Flight. http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Commercial_Aviation/EL AL/Tran25.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
- ^ "Arkia gets scheduled status". Jerusalem Post. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1171894489862. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
- ^ "Arkia to add 2 more Boeing 787s". http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000230308&fid=942. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
- ^ Dalia Tal (2008-02-12). "Arkia named designated carrier on TA-Paris route". Globes. http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/DocView.asp?did=1000308850&fid=1725. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
- ^ "A History of Terrorism in Israel". http://lindasog.com/public/terrorvictims.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
- ^ "Pilot of Arkia Flight 582 Describes What Happened". CNN. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0211/28/bn.05.html. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
- ^ "Arkia Fleet". http://www.arkia.co.il/site2con/eng/about_aviation.html. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
External links
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