El Al’s first direct flight from Tokyo arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday with 200 Japanese tourists and pilgrims aboard.
They are the first of 1,200 visitors from Japan that the Israeli air carrier is scheduled to bring here on six charter flights over the next few weeks. A refueling stop was made in Moscow.
Israel and Japan are negotiating an aviation agreement that will permit regularly scheduled air service between the two countries.
Israel and China have been negotiating a similar agreement. But the start of service between Tel Aviv and Beijing has been delayed by security complications in China.
Security seems to be Israel’s major preoccupation in establishing air service to East Asia. The El Al plane that flew to Japan carried airline security personnel who will set up safety procedures in Tokyo and other Far East destinations.
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