Arkia Pulls Phuket Flights From Booking Site Amid Tokyo Delay
Arkia Israeli Airlines has removed direct flights to Phuket from its booking platform just four months after launch, as the carrier also navigates delayed Tokyo routes and a major ownership change.
Arkia Israeli Airlines has halted bookings for direct flights from Israel to Phuket, removing the route from its website just four months after its initial launch. Customers attempting to book upcoming holiday periods discovered that reservations are currently capped at the end of December. The Phuket route, inaugurated in July, operates weekly Tuesday flights utilizing an Airbus A330 equipped with a business class cabin, supplementing the airline's established twice-weekly service to Bangkok.
This schedule adjustment coincides with previous operational setbacks for the carrier, including the postponement of its planned direct route to Tokyo originally scheduled for late October. According to company statements, Japanese authorities currently prohibit operating flights to Japan utilizing wet-lease aircraft. Arkia is actively pursuing regulatory approvals to operate the Tokyo route using its proprietary fleet and anticipates resolving the matter in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, significant structural changes are underway following a labor dispute declared last week regarding the airline's corporate future. The controlling owners, Rafi, Joe, and Avi Nakash, have signed an agreement to introduce a new investor group comprising Kidan Dahari, Yaron Adib, Yariv Lerner, and Einav Adib-Barer. This incoming syndicate is set to inject substantial capital into the carrier and assume controlling ownership.
