Arkia (stylized as arkia), legally incorporated as Arkia Israeli Airlines Ltd, is an Israeli airline. It is Israel's second largest airline, operating scheduled domestic and international services, as well as charter flights to destinations in Western Europe and across the Mediterranean. Its main base and headquarters is Ben Gurion Airport, with a hub at the Ramon Airport.
As of 2020, there are 420 employees employed at Arkia.
History
thumb|Arkia operated the first Israeli civilian helicopter service in October 1959.
thumb|[[Eleanor Roosevelt arriving for a visit in Eilat on an Arkia airplane on March 26, 1959]]
Foundation and early years
Arkia was founded in 1949 as Israel Inland Airlines when it became clear that there was demand for a local airline to connect Tel Aviv with different regions of the reborn state of Israel, especially with Eilat, Israel's important seaport situated on the Gulf of Aqaba. Flights commenced in 1950 with de Havilland DH.89 aircraft, followed by Douglas DC-3s, to inter-connect major towns in Israel from Rosh Pinna in the North to the port of Eilat in the South. In July 2007, it was announced that the airline planned to file for further scheduled carrier status on routes to New York City and Bangkok, currently served under charter status. 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. 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. At this time, the airline also announced that it would add two Boeing 737 aircraft to its fleet within two years, as well as four Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft it had on order which were to be delivered in 2012. The order for the 787 aircraft was moved to a leasing subsidiary owned by MG Aviation and leased to Norwegian Air Shuttle. The order was replaced with an order for four Airbus A330neo aircraft.
In November 2018, Arkia became the launch customer of the Airbus A321LR when it received its first aircraft of the type.
In January 2025, Arkia announced it would begin direct flights between NYC and Tel Aviv starting on 8 February 2025 using Airbus A330-900 aircraft operated by Iberojet.
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.
Fleet
thumb|Arkia [[Airbus A321LR]]
alt=Airbus A330-200|thumb|Arkia [[Airbus A330|Airbus A330-200]]
thumb|Arkia [[Embraer 195]]
thumb|A former Arkia [[ATR 72-500 in an earlier livery]]
Current fleet
, Arkia operates the following aircraft:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
!Aircraft
!In service
!Orders
!Passengers
!Notes
|-
|Airbus A320-200
|1
|—
|180
|
|-
|Airbus A321LR
|2
|—
|219
|Launch customer.
|-
|Embraer 195
|3
|—
|122
|
|-
!Total
!6
!—
! colspan="2" |
|}
Historic fleet
Arkia Israel Airlines has also operated the following aircraft:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
!Aircraft
!Introduced
!Retired
!Notes
|-
|ATR 72-500
|1998
|2017
|
|-
|Boeing 737-200
|1982
|2000
|
|-
|Boeing 757-200
|1993
|2007
|
|-
|Boeing 757-300
|2000
|2019
|
|-
|Curtiss C-46 Commando
|1950
|
|
|-
|de Havilland Canada Dash 7
|
|
|
|-
|Douglas DC-3
|1955
|
|
|-
|Embraer 190
|
|
|
|-
|Handley Page Dart Herald
|1964
|
|
|-
|Vickers Viscount
|1980
|
|
|}
Livery
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.
Incidents and accidents
- On 28 November 2002, Arkia Israel Airlines Flight 582, a Boeing 757-300, was narrowly missed by two anti-aircraft missiles, fired at it shortly after take-off from Moi International Airport in Mombasa, Kenya. The plane continued onward and landed safely in Tel Aviv, Israel. The incident occurred approximately 20 minutes before the Kenyan hotel bombing.
Notes
References
Further reading
- Sherman A., Blue kies, red sea : the Story of the Town of Eilat and Arkia, Edan Books, Jerusalem, 1977