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Israeli Airline Arkia Makes Historic Landing at Arctic's Northernmost Airport

How 4 Israeli newsrooms covered this story — translated into English and compared side by side.

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First reported by Mako · Jul 5, 2026

What happened

Arkia Airlines completed a historic first by landing an Israeli-registered plane at Longyearbyen Airport in Svalbard, near the North Pole, after a refueling stop in Helsinki. This marks Israel's entry into a small group of countries flying directly to this Arctic region, highlighting new operational capabilities for Israeli aviation.

01Arkia Airlines is the first Israeli airline to land at Longyearbyen Airport near the North Pole.
02The flight included a refueling stop in Helsinki before reaching the Arctic destination.
03Longyearbyen is the northernmost airport serving the Svalbard archipelago, 1,300 km from the North Pole.
04Arkia operated four special flights using an Airbus A320 in partnership with Spirit Productions and photographer Roy Glitz.
05The flights demonstrate Israeli aviation's ability to reach remote, challenging destinations.
06Svalbard is known for extreme cold, glaciers, polar bears, and limited flight access due to harsh conditions.

Summary translated & synthesized from the sources below by baba. Read each original for the full report.

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Roy Glitz