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| Founded | 1949 (as Israel Inland Airlines) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating bases | Ben Gurion Airport | ||||||
| Hubs | Ramon Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 6 | ||||||
| Destinations | 32[citation needed] | ||||||
| Parent company | Jordache Enterprises (70%)[1] | ||||||
| Headquarters | Ben Gurion Airport Tel Aviv,Israel | ||||||
| Key people | Oz Berlovich (CEO)[2] | ||||||
| Employees | 420 (as of 2020) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Arkia[a] (stylized asarkia), legally incorporated asArkia Israeli Airlines Ltd, is an Israeli airline. Its head office is on the grounds ofSde Dov Airport inTel Aviv,Israel.[3] It isIsrael's second largest airline,[4] operating scheduled domestic and international services, as well as charter flights to destinations inWestern Europe and across theMediterranean. Its main base is Ben Gurion Airport, with a hub at theRamon Airport.[5]
As of 2020, there are 420 employees employed at Arkia.[6][failed verification]
Arkia was founded in 1949 asIsrael Inland Airlines when it became clear that there was demand for a local airline to connect Tel Aviv with different regions of the then-new state of Israel, especially with Eilat, Israel's important seaport situated on the Gulf of Aqaba.[7] Flights commenced in 1950 withDe Havilland DH.89 aircraft, followed byDouglas DC-3s, to inter-connect major towns in Israel fromRosh Pinna in the North to the port of Eilat in the South.[7]El Al held a 50% stake in the airline at this time with theHistadrut, Israel's labour federation, being the other shareholder.[citation needed] The airline later adopted the nameEilata Airlines - Aviron, andArkia Israel Airlines.[citation needed] In its first year of service, Israel Inland Airlines carried 13,485 passengers, using aCurtis Commando.[7]
During the 1950s, the airline continued to grow, upgrading its fleet to the largerDC-3, and operating two flights a day on the Tel Aviv-Eilat route.[7] This allowed Arkia to have annual passenger figures of over 70,000.[7] As Eilat continued to grow during the 1960s, so did the airline, introducing theHandley Page Dart Herald 200 turboprop aircraft to its fleet between 1967 and 1968, enabling Arkia to expand with new routes toJerusalem, andSharm-el-Sheikh.[7] A subsidiary, Kanaf Arkia Airline and Aviation Services, was founded when the airline acquired 50% of the stock of Kanaf Airlines and Aviation Services, and by the end of the 1960s, scheduled flights were in operation across Israel, fromRosh Pinna in the north, toOfira in the south.[7]
In March 1980, Kanaf Arkia acquired the remaining stock of Arkia and merged the two operators.[citation needed] The airline grew quickly during the 1980s, moving both into the international charter market and airline maintenance.
The airline is now owned by Kanaf-Arkia Airlines (70%) and airline employees (30%). In 2006, the Nakash brothers ofJordache Enterprises bought Knafaim's 70% share.[7]
In February 2007, the Israeli Tourism Ministry awarded Arkia a scheduled operator's licence for flights toDublin, andLarnaca, a destination dropped by El Al.[8] In July 2007, it was announced that the airline planned to file for further scheduled carrier status on routes toNew York City andBangkok, currently served under charter status.[9] Furthermore, in early 2008, after the Israeli Tourism Ministry opened up the airline market, the airline applied for scheduled carrier status for routes to Barcelona, Berlin, Moscow, and Paris.[citation needed] The licence for Paris was granted in February 2008, and the airline announced that both economy and business class would be offered on this route.[citation needed] At this time, the airline also announced that it would add twoBoeing 737 aircraft to its fleet within two years, as well as fourBoeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft it had on order which were to be delivered in 2012.[10] The order for the 787 aircraft was moved to a leasing subsidiary owned by MG Aviation and leased toNorwegian Air Shuttle. The order was replaced with an order for fourAirbus A330neo aircraft.[11]
In November 2018, Arkia became the launch customer of theAirbus A321LR when it received its first aircraft of the type.[12] In May 2024, Arkia announced it waswet-leasing aBoeing 737-700 from Ukrainian companySkyUp.[13]
In January 2025, Arkia announced it would begin direct flights between NYC and Tel Aviv starting on 8 February 2025 usingAirbus A330-900 aircraft operated byIberojet.[14][15]
In May 2025, Arkia announced it would begin a 2nd direct flight between NYC and Tel Aviv starting in June 2025 using Boeing 787-9 aircraft operated by Neos Air.[14][15]
As of August 2025[update], Arkia operates the following aircraft:[16]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 1 | — | 180 | [17] |
| Airbus A321LR | 2 | — | 219 | Launch customer.[18][19] |
| Embraer E195 | 3 | — | 122 | |
| Total | 6 | — | ||
Arkia Israel Airlines has also operated the following aircraft:[20]
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 72-500 | 1998 | 2017 | |
| Boeing 737-200 | 1982 | 2000 | |
| Boeing 757-200 | 1993 | 2007 | |
| Boeing 757-300 | 2000 | 2019[citation needed] | |
| Curtiss C-46 Commando | 1950 | Unknown | |
| de Havilland Canada Dash 7 | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Douglas DC-3 | 1955 | Unknown | |
| Embraer 190 | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Handley Page Dart Herald | 1964 | Unknown | |
| Vickers Viscount | 1980 | Unknown |
In May 2017, Arkia unveiled a new livery, ahead of the delivery of new aircraft, which consists of a lower-case 'a' on the vertical fin, which also features the striping effect and multicoloured stripes on the aft section and the winglets of each aircraft. The colour of the stripes and logo will vary between each aircraft.[21]
Media related toArkia at Wikimedia Commons
| Passenger | |
|---|---|
| Cargo | |
| Defunct | |
