Israel’s newest startup airline, airHaifa, has announced that it will be taking off on its first-ever flight in a few days.
However, much like any other development in Israel’s aviation industry, the flights depend on the security situation in the country, which, in recent months, has deteriorated with an escalating conflict in the north with Lebanon.
Initial flights from Eilat
In the announcement on September 25, airHaifa said that it has planned its first flights from Eilat Ilan and Asaf Ramon International Airport (ETM) starting September 30.
The airline will be based there until October 11, a day before Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.
Photo: airHaifa
Subsequently, airHaifa plans to fly from Haifa Airport (HFA) starting October 13. The airport has been dormant since Univeral Air Management, a Malta-registered carrier, last operated flights to Cypriot airports, namely Paphos International Airport (PFO) and Larnaca International Airport (LCA), in December 2023, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Ynet reported that airHaifa would be flying from Eilat to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV), connecting the Red Sea city with Tel Aviv.
On October 13, airHaifa will fly from Haifa to Tel Aviv, while on the following day, it should launch flights from Haifa to Larnaca.
ATR 72-based fleet
Ch-aviation data showed that currently, airHaifa has a single ATR 72-600 aircraft, registered as 4X-IHA, in its fleet.
Having taken delivery of the aircraft on July 26, the Israeli airline has been actively flying its sole turboprop. The carrier should soon take delivery of another ATR 72-600, currently registered as M-ABRH.
Photo: Dejan Milinkovic | Shutterstock
Ch-aviation records showed that its second ATR 72-600 was previously owned by Garuda Indonesia between December 2013 and June 2022. However, it has been stored since November 2019, with the aircraft being moved to Toulouse Francazal Airport (QYF) in August 2023.
On September 19, the aircraft operated a flight from the French airport to Montpellier-Méditerranée Airport (MPL) and then returned to Toulouse, according to FlightAware.
Nevertheless, airHaifa’s first ATR 72-600, which already has the Israeli aircraft registration prefix 4X, was ordered by the airline from ATR in 2023.
Opportunity to start operations
There is no doubt that the Israeli airline has chosen an uncertain time to launch operations, with Israel being engaged in a war in Gaza and now, rising tensions at its northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based Iranian proxy, has been based.
In an update on September 25, the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (רשות התעופה האזרחית, CAAI), said that a surface-to-surface missile was launched from Lebanon toward a military object in central Israel.
While air alert sirens were active in some parts of the country, the missile was intercepted over the sea, and the operations at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) have continued.
Despite the war, some Israeli airlines have been thriving. EL AL, the de facto flag carrier of Israel, has reported a net profit of $147 million in Q2 (Q1: $81 million), pointing out that its market share at TLV, while trending down in the past few months, has been growing compared to the pre-war period.
At the same time, the situation in Lebanon and Northern Israel has been escalating. On September 26, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron have issued a joint statement, calling for a temporary ceasefire to avoid a broader conflict between Lebanon and Israel.
In response, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office stated that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, had not responded to the proposal on September 26.
“The report about the purported directive to ease up on the fighting in the north is the opposite of the truth. The Prime Minister has directed the IDF to continue fighting with full force, according to the plan that was presented to him.”
Thus, airHaifa’s initial plans might be derailed by any potential escalation at the northern border, considering that Haifa’s airport is located around an hour’s drive away from the official line separating Israel and Lebanon.
