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Arkia Flights to Tokyo Delayed Due to Japanese Approval Issues
The Israeli airline Arkia has postponed the launch of its new direct flight route to Tokyo, which was scheduled to begin in less than two weeks. The delay is due to Japanese regulatory authorities not permitting the flights to operate using a wet-leased aircraft, which is a plane rented along with its operating crew from another company. Arkia had been working for months to secure the necessary approvals for the route, which was intended to break El Al's monopoly on direct flights between Israel and Japan.
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What happened
- 01Arkia has postponed its new direct flight route from Tel Aviv to Tokyo due to Japanese regulatory issues.
- 02Japanese authorities have not approved Arkia's plan to operate the route using a wet-leased aircraft and crew.
- 03The delay affects passengers booked on the first four flights scheduled for October 25, October 28, November 1, and November 5, 2026.
- 04Arkia is offering affected passengers alternative flights via Bangkok or Hanoi, a 10% discount on other destinations, or a full refund.
- 05The airline is now seeking regulatory approval to operate the Tokyo route using its own aircraft.
- 06The new route was intended to break El Al's monopoly on direct flights between Israel and Japan.
Arkia is now seeking approval from Japanese authorities to operate the route using its own aircraft and hopes to resolve the issue in the coming weeks. According to Kan News, the airline had initially planned to operate two weekly flights using its Embraer E-Jet E2 aircraft.
The delay currently affects passengers booked on the first four scheduled flights on October 25 and 28, and November 1 and 5, 2026. Arkia is offering these passengers three options: a flight to Tokyo via Bangkok or Hanoi managed by Arkia, rebooking to another Arkia destination with a 10% discount, or a full refund. Passengers booked for later dates do not need to make changes at this time.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: Behadrei Haredim. Read Behadrei Haredim’s originalThe coverage
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