The first direct flights between Latin America and Israel in six years are set to begin in December, when Latam, Latin America"™s largest airline, begins service, Israel"™s Tourism Ministry said last week.
Since Israel"™s El Al Airlines terminated the only direct flight from Latin America, passengers have had to take flights which have stopovers in Europe or Africa, increasing the total travel time to at least 18 hours.
"This is a unique service for passengers across much of Latin America," said Jerome Cadier, CEO of Latam Airlines Brazil, which was formed in the 2012 merger of Chile"™s LAN and Brazil"™s TAM. «No other airline connects Latin America with Israel.»
From December 12, Latam will operate a flight three times a week, that starts in Santiago, Chile and makes a stopover in Sao Paulo before continuing on to Tel Aviv. The Sao Paulo market includes Brazil"™s 120,000-strong Jewish community as well as pilgrims from the world"™s second-largest Christian population. The Sao Paulo-Tel Aviv leg will take 13 hours, with the return trip lasting 15 hours. Airfares will start at $999…
