AirHaifa
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Founded | 2023 | ||||||
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Operating bases | Haifa Airport[2] | ||||||
Hubs | Haifa Airport | ||||||
Headquarters | Haifa, Israel | ||||||
Key people |
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Website | airhaifa |
airHaifa (Hebrew: אייר חיפה, Arabic: طيران حيفا) is an Israeli airline. Its head office is going to be located in Haifa, Israel. airHaifa will be operating scheduled domestic and international services, as well as charter flights to destinations in Southeastern Europe, the Middle East and across the Mediterranean. airHaifa will be the first commercial airline based at the Haifa Airport.[4]
History
airHaifa, 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 and other people.[5]
The company was officially registered on 20 March 2023.[6]
According to a statement by Miri Regev, the Minister of Transportation, the expected start of flights is June 2024. The airline states that it is the first commercial airline to be established at Haifa Airport.[2]
airHaifa and the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI) are working on certifying the airline. Once certification is complete, and airHaifa receives the necessary documentation, the airline can begin commercial service.[2]
Destinations
airHaifa is hoping to launch operations during September 2024,[7] when at the beginning it will issue flights on the Haifa-Eilat route and later it will also fly to Cyprus, Greece and Turkey.[8] As of 20 August 2024, the airline website does not sell tickets and does not state a precise date when flights will start.
Country | City | Airport | Notes | Refs |
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Israel | Eilat | Ramon Airport | Planned | [9] |
Haifa | Haifa Airport | Hub | [9] |
Fleet
airHaifa is expected to operate a fleet of new 600 series of the ATR made ATR 72, which can accommodate 72 passengers.[10]
Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
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ATR 72-600 | 1 | 2 | 72 | First aircraft was delivered on 28 July 2024 (Registration:4X-IHA). Two more to be received by September 2024. All aircraft are new.[11] |
References
- ^ "The Aviation Codes Website - Airline Codes Full Details". www.avcodes.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d "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 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.
- ^ "airHaifa to receive first aircraft this month". Globes. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "'airHaifa': New airline set to launch out of northern Israel". The Times of Israel. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ a b 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.
External links
- Official website (in Arabic, English, and Hebrew)