Israeli and Polish airlines: unrestricted charter flights

Minister of Transport Meir Sheetrit said last week that Israel's Civil Aviation Authority ( ICAA) will allow Israeli and Polish airlines to fly unrestricted charter flights between the two countries
 
The minister noted that the decision to allow unrestricted charter flights followed a request by Poland’s Civil Aviation Office.
 
It is understood that the Polish request followed a sharp increase of passenger traffic on the route.
 
Under the present bilateral aviation agreement, there are two scheduled weekly flights between Poland and Israel, and a limited number of charter flights.
 
Lot Polish Airlines and El Al Israel Airlines Ltd operates, under code sharing agreement, flights between Warsaw and Krakow to Tel Aviv and Israel's Arkia Airlines Ltd operates charter flights from Israel to the city of Katowice.
 
A spokesman for ICAA said that the new air service agreement will expand the number of flights and destinations he added that in 2005, 125,000 passengers flew between Israel and Poland.
 
Lot carried 43% of the total, El Al 26%, and Israeli charter airlines carried 31%.
He added that this summer there will be eight weekly scheduled flights between Tel Aviv and Warsaw, two more flights than in the winter of 2006.
 
The minister's press release also noted that ICCA was also trying to reach an air service agreement for unrestricted charter flights between Israel and Cyprus.