Israeli tourism minister expects Mumbai-Tel Aviv flights to begin in March

Mumbai, Jan 28 (PTI) Israel's tourism minister Haim Katz on Tuesday said he is in talks with Air India for direct flights connecting Mumbai and Tel Aviv, which is expected to start in early next month.
     "I met the CEO of Air India and he told me that he will work towards starting direct flights from Mumbai to Tel Aviv soon. The direct flight from Delhi to Tel Aviv is going to start in the beginning of March. I am making all the pushes needed to bring direct flight from Mumbai to Tel Aviv by Air India and by the Israeli airline, EI AI, as well. Tourism is very important for the economy," Katz told reporters.
     Katz is visiting India to strengthen the long-standing ties between Israel and India and promote cultural heritage, historical landmarks, and world-class tourist destinations for Indian travellers.
     During the visit, the minister inaugurated the "Magen Hassidim Synagogue" under the initiative of the Jewish Route by the Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC).
     Israeli Consulate General to Mumbai Kobbi Shoshani, also present on the occasion, said, there is a lot of Israelis here in India and Israel would also like to welcome Indians to the country.
     "We would like to see more and more Indians coming to visit Israel, as much as the Israelis going to visit India. There are a lot of Israelis here in India, and we would also like to see Indians going back to Israel, to enjoy the culinary delights in the restaurants of Tel Aviv, the beaches, of course Jerusalem, the ancient Haifa, the Dead Sea," he added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)