"One of the cheapest summers": Arkia CEO with a surprising statement | Yehuda Sharoni

"August this year is different. Last year, few foreign companies flew. Until the end of July, people feared war, and it hung over our heads, so we started the month with less occupancy than we predicted," says Arkia CEO Oz Berlovich to Maariv.

According to him, there is currently a fairly wide supply of seats on many flights. "Such promotions are suitable for people who did not plan their trips in advance. For spontaneous travelers, we offer discounts, and we have decent hotel prices. Everyone thought this summer in aviation would be expensive, but in practice, it has become one of the cheapest," he notes.

Berlovich adds: "It seems that this year, as long as the quiet is maintained, demand during the holidays may be among the highest in recent years. At this stage, occupancy for the holidays is still lower than expected, and we may stimulate it with additional promotions."

Regarding complaints about flight delays at Arkia, he explains:

"Arkia is the second-largest company at Ben Gurion Airport, operating 20 aircraft. Not all reasons for delays are our responsibility, although we take responsibility for them. The main factors are the limited number of parking spaces at the airport and a huge shortage of workers at the airport and in ground handling companies."

"From February to April, there was almost a lockdown, and it takes time to re-recruit staff. In any case, we are not the worst. I am not blaming anyone, but taking responsibility for every delay. However, I agree that we are facing attacks and publications that are not always accurate."

Regarding flights on Shabbat, he explains:

"Every airline must ensure its planes are in the air as much as possible. Saturdays and holidays in Israel account for about 70 days a year. An airline that does not fly on Shabbat, and whose main traffic is for vacations in Greece and resort destinations, cannot afford not to fly for 70 days. Today, not flying on Shabbat is a severe economic blow."

He also shared plans for the future: "Starting in October, we will fly to Japan, in addition to Hanoi, Vietnam, where we already fly. We have added flights there due to huge demand. We are examining additional destinations in the East, such as China, but that is not immediate. We will continue to fly to 20 destinations this winter."

"There is a big jump in demand for Georgia, especially Tbilisi, from ski enthusiasts. I hope Israeli companies will be allowed to return to flying to Dubai soon, and we are pushing for flights to resume as early as September. It is worth noting the resumption of flights to Morocco, with the flight that departed this week to Marrakech. There is huge demand for Morocco, as thousands of Israelis previously flew there via indirect routes."

In conclusion, he promises: "Very soon, we will establish a loyalty program. Initially, it will operate on the basis of accumulating money on Arkia flights: for every dollar spent, the customer will receive a dollar to redeem for another company product. The program's operating systems already exist, and there is even a logo."