Israeli Airlines Complete Historic First Landings at North Pole Gateway

In a historic milestone for Israeli aviation, four flights operated by Arkia Airlines in collaboration with Spirit Productions completed the first-ever landings of Israeli planes at Longyearbyen Airport. This airport, located in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, is the northernmost airport in the world serving regular flights and acts as a gateway to the North Pole region. The flights utilized an Airbus A320 aircraft and included a technical stopover in Helsinki, Finland, for refueling before continuing to the Arctic destination.

Arkia CEO Oz Berlovitz highlighted the project as a demonstration of the airline's operational capabilities and flexibility, expressing pride in leading such unique and challenging aviation missions beyond their regular operations. Spirit Productions CEO and owner Tali Yativ described the achievement as fulfilling a vision and marking a new chapter in Israeli tourism history, emphasizing the professional and efficient cooperation with Arkia throughout the project. Both companies look forward to future pioneering ventures together.

This initiative represents a significant breakthrough in Israeli tourism and aviation, opening new possibilities for travel to remote and extraordinary global destinations. The flights took place recently, with the news published on July 5, 2026.