El Al’s maiden flight to Tokyo, Japan numbered LY091 took off this evening. After about 11 hours it will land at Narita Airport. The new line was inaugurated this evening in a festive ceremony in El Al’s ‘King David’ lounge in the presence of the Minister of Tourism, Haim Katz, the Japanese Ambassador to Israel, Mizushima Koichi, the director of the National Bank of Israel, Udi Bar Oz, and the CEO of El Al, Dina Ben Tal Ganassia.
There are about 230 passengers and crew members on the flight that took off tonight. The launch of the line to Tokyo foreshadows Israel’s connection to Japanese culture, and allows the Japanese people to be exposed to and get to know Israeli culture.
The flight path from Tabriz to Narita
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 together with all the flights after the aviation world went into silence. To be here today, three years later and 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.”
The Director of Israel National Airport Udi Bar Oz: “They say that it is better late than never. A flight that was planned to take off in March 2020 takes off today. El Al will fly from the Arab twice a week to Tokyo and allow Israelis to reach Japan. The demand for flights is in the sky and I welcome the achievement. We at Israel National Airport will continue to provide a response and support for all goals”
From right to left: Japanese Ambassador to Israel, Mizushima Koichi, Minister of Tourism Haim Katz, and El Al CEO Dina Ben Tal Denancia. Photograph by El Al Spokesperson
