airHaifa (Hebrew: אייר חיפה, Arabic: طيران حيفا) is a low cost Israeli airline operating flights to Eilat and Cyprus. Its current hub is Ben-Gurion Airport yet is planned for Haifa, Israel. Hence the name.
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 2023 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating bases | Haifa Airport[2] | ||||||
| Hubs | Haifa Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 2 | ||||||
| Destinations | 3 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Haifa, Israel | ||||||
| Key people |
| ||||||
| Website | airhaifa | ||||||
History
editairHaifa, the first new Israeli airline since the 1990s,[4] was founded by Nir Zuk, the founder of Palo Alto Networks and Shai Babad, the former director general of the Israeli Ministry of Finance and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Strauss Group. Among other founders are former El Al chief commercial officer Michael Strassburger, former ZIM CEO, Rafi Danieli,[3] former vice president of operations for El Al, Lior Yavor, former CEO of El Al, Gonen Osishkin.[5]
The company was officially registered on 20 March 2023.[6]
The airline states that it is the first commercial airline to be established at Haifa Airport.[2]
Destinations
editairHaifa has launched operations on 30 September 2024,[7] initially operating flights from Tel Aviv to Eilat until 11 October 2024, eventually launching flights from Haifa to Eilat and Larnaca, on 13 October and 14 October 2024, respectively. Future plans include routes to Greece and Turkey.[8]
Ticket sales on the airline's website began on 25 September 2024.
| Country | City | Airport | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyprus | Larnaca | Larnaca Airport | [7][9] | |
| Israel | Eilat | Ramon Airport | [7][9] | |
| Haifa | Haifa Airport | Begins 22 December 2024 | [7][9] | |
| Tel Aviv | David Ben Gurion Airport | Ends 21 December 2024 | [7] |
Fleet
editairHaifa operates a fleet of 600 series of the ATR made ATR 72, each able to accommodate 72 passengers.[10]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 72-600 | 1[4] | 2[4] | 72 | First aircraft was delivered on 28 July 2024 Two more to be received by September 2024. These aircraft are new.[11] |
| 1 | — | 72 | Ex Garuda Indonesia[12] |
References
edit- ^ a b "The Aviation Codes Website - Airline Codes Full Details". www.avcodes.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "airHaifa: it's easy to just fly". airHaifa. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ a b Livne, Stav (4 April 2024). "Will airHaifa be stillborn?". Globes. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Weiss, Vered (10 July 2024). "New Israeli Airline 'airHaifa' Set to Receive First Plane in July". Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ Kopel-Wanderman, Nirit (19 July 2023). "Low cost from Haifa airport? • The company 'airHaifa' was launched". Hai Fa - The News Corporation. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ פרץ זילברמן, ספיר (18 July 2023). "חברת התעופה הישראלית ״אייר חיפה״ של ניר צוק יוצאת לדרך". פספורטניוז (in Hebrew). Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Air Haifa to begin flying from Monday". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ "'airHaifa': New airline set to launch out of northern Israel". The Times of Israel. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Zahavi, Mia (17 May 2024). "Another step towards the return of international flights to the airport in Haifa". Hai Fa - The News Corporation. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ Sipinski, Dominik (28 September 2023). "Israel's airHaifa to launch with ATR72-600s". CH Aviation. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "airHaifa to receive first aircraft this month". Globes. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "4X-IHB airHaifa ATR 72-600 (72-212A)". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
External links
edit- Official website (in Arabic, English, and Hebrew)
