DoTr to launch Israel direct flights

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) is working to launch direct flights between Manila and Israel as part of the agency’s push to expand international connectivity and strengthen bilateral ties with other countries.

“We can start working on the direct flight from Israel to the Philippines. Rest assured that I’m going to work closely with the Philippine Ambassador to Israel and the Department of Foreign Affairs and the other relevant government agencies,” Transportation Acting Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez said in a media release on Tuesday.

The agency is pushing to establish direct flights to Tel Aviv within this year, Mr. Lopez said, adding that the Transportation department is working double time to introduce this new service.

“I do identify this opportunity of business as a big opportunity and sky is the limit. So let’s try to explore these opportunities both for Israelis and Filipinos,” said Ambassador of Israel to the Philippines Dana Kursh.

In 2024, the Philippines and Israel announced that they are eyeing further collaboration to drive tourism growth and strengthen economic ties.

Israel has been in a nearly two-year conflict with Hamas, after it led an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. It was the culmination of the decades-long conflict between Israel and Palestine that has seen repeated bouts of violence, mass displacement, and failed peace efforts that continue to destabilize the region.

In June last year, the DFA lowered the alert level in Israel to Alert Level 2 but said that the agency is strictly monitoring the situation in the region. — Ashley Erika O. Jose