Arkia announces direct flights to Philippines starting January

Arkia will launch nonstop flights to the Philippines in January and is set to become the first Israel carrier to operate a direct route to the capital Manila.

The new route to Manila’s main international airport will commence on January 3, 2027, with one weekly direct flight departing on Sundays. The route will be operated using a wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft. One-way ticket prices will start at $750 for economy class seats and $1,800 for business class seats.

El Al has expressed its intention to launch direct flights to Manila, but no firm start date has been announced.

“Following New York, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan, we continue to open new destinations for the Israeli public and expand the range of direct flight options from Israel,” Arkia CEO Oz Berlowitz says at a press conference in Tel Aviv.

“The Philippines is a fascinating destination with significant tourism potential, alongside business, economic and diplomatic potential for deepening ties between Israel and the Philippines,” says Berlowitz.

Also speaking at the conference, Philippine Ambassador to Israel Aileen Mendiola says the direct route will help unlock economic and bilateral trade opportunities between the two countries.

“One of my goals as an ambassador, aside from the direct flight, is that I want to start discussion on a free trade agreement between Israel and the Philippines,” Mendiola says. “This flight will make that happen, because we want cargo to be full with products from both sides.”

Earlier this year, Israel and the Philippines discussed deeper bilateral trade and technology cooperation under the Pax Silica Initiative, with a focus on critical minerals, semiconductors, and innovation.