Nonstop flights from Tel Aviv to Tokyo announced

Add Tokyo to the growing list of cities that are a nonstop flight away from Tel Aviv.

A new aviation deal between Israeli and Japanese airlines will offer customers up to 14 direct flights between the two countries each week.

Representatives from Israel’s airline El Al and Japan’s biggest airline, All Nippon, signed the deal at a recent meeting Tokyo.

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz Wednesday confirmed the new aviation agreement, calling it “really good news.”

“This agreement is a direct continuation of my policy to open the skies,” Katz said, according to Ynet.

No date was given for the launch of the new route.

“I believe that adding destinations in Japan itself, as well as flights, will increase the number of tourists arriving in Israel in the near future. The agreement is also an important component in the government’s policy to strengthen Israel’s relations with Japan.”

There are no direct flights between Israel and Japan currently, and most passengers traveling between the two countries must make connecting flights in Hong Kong or Seoul.

According to the Tourism Ministry, some 13,000 people traveled from Japan to Israel in 2014.