The opening of a direct Lydda-New York flight schedule by the nationally-owned El Al Airlines was formally marked here today at a ceremony attended by Communications Minister David Remez. Actually the first direct flight to the United States by an El Al plane was made last week.
After the ceremony a plane took off for New York with some 25,000 letters from Israelis to friends and relatives in the United States. It also carried several cases of the choicest Israel grapes for New York’s Mayor O’Dwyer.
Speakers at the ceremony revealed that Israel has established air communication with 29 countries and that 11 air transport services use the facilities of the Lydda Airport. Twenty-two thousand passengers and 18,000 immigrants arrived at the field during the past six months, with El Al planes carrying 23 percent of the total. The company will operate five regular weekly schedules to Europe and a fortnightly schedule to Turkey, beginning next month.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
