Charter flights from the U.S. West Coast to Israel will be increased to four a month, Moshe Shoshani, director of the Israel Tourist Office for Western America announced today. He said the additional flight would be operated by Continental Express Tours employing a 250-passenger jumbo jet.
According to a recent survey by the Ministry of Tourism, 70 percent of tourists coming to Israel from the U.S. West Coast said they would not have made the trip had there been no charter flights available. The survey appeared to bear out the Ministry’s long held view that tourism would rise if charter flights to Israel were permitted.
Charter flights were approved last year over strong opposition from El Al and the Transport Ministry. Until then, the only charter flights allowed to Israel were from Scandinavian countries. The success of the West Coast charters has led to a demand for charter flights by tour packagers in other areas of the U.S., the Ministry reported.
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