Argentina. Photo: Shutterstock On Wednesday, April 1, 20206, Argentina's ambassador to Israel, Axel Wahnish, sent a particularly optimistic message which will mark a turning point in aviation.
After a meeting with El Al senior officials, headed by the company's CEO Levi Halevi and VP of Commerce and Aviation Relations Shlomi Zafrani, the ambassador revealed on his X page that the move to establish a direct flight between Tel Aviv and Buenos Aires has entered an advanced stage, and even set an ambitious goal for launch within the coming year.
“Argentina and Israel will have a direct flight and we hope to inaugurate it this year,” the ambassador said.
The ambassador did not hide his excitement about the development: “Today, a dream that I have pursued with all my efforts since I took office as ambassador begins to come true.”
Behind the scenes, the move is much more than just another airport, representing a strategic step designed to connect Israel with one of the largest economies in Latin America, while significantly shortening arrival times, and opening up new possibilities in the fields of tourism, business, and investment.
The ambassador further emphasized: “This is the concrete result of the strategic relationship that President Javier Milley built with Israel,” adding that cooperation with government officials and El Al is a central component in advancing the move.
The ambassador also thanked the El Al team for their involvement and commitment, and noted that the company may be a major player in operating the line, if and when it is launched.
As we reported last year, Israel and Argentina are working to promote a direct flight between Tel Aviv and Buenos Aires, as part of a state ceremony in Jerusalem in which a memorandum of understanding between the countries was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Argentine President Javier Milei.
Earlier, we would like to recall that the Israeli government approved the proposal of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to promote direct flights between Israel and Argentina.
As part of the decision, an implementation mechanism will be established by the Ministry of Finance through the Accountant General, with the purpose of encouraging airlines to open regular, direct routes between the countries.
The initiative was formulated in cooperation with the Argentine Ambassador to Israel, Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish, and the head of the economic department at the embassy, and is based on a diplomatic dialogue between Foreign Minister Sa'ar and his Argentine counterpart Gerardo Werthein.
The move is intended to expand cooperation in the fields of innovation, industry, investment and trade, and to establish Israel's position as a key economic partner in Latin America.
The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance see the move as an expression of a mutual commitment to deepening relations and strengthening economic and political cooperation between the countries.