TORONTO — WOW air says it plans to launch four flights a week from Tel Aviv to Montreal and Toronto, with stopovers in Reykjavik.
When the flights start Sept. 12 WOW air will be the third airline in as many months to add or boost capacity on the routes.
In February Air Canada announced it was launching seasonal nonstop service between Montreal and Tel Aviv this summer, twice weekly from June 22 to Oct. 16, as well as increasing its current Toronto-Tel Aviv nonstop service from six days a week to daily frequency year-round.
Meanwhile Air Transat is offering new direct flights from Montreal to Tel Aviv, as well as from Toronto with a connection in Montreal. The nonstop flight will operate twice weekly on Wednesdays and Sundays, from June 18 until late October. Flights will operate on A330-300s with 332 seats.
El Al also offers flights from Toronto (and Montreal via Toronto) to Tel Aviv.
WOW air’s CEO Skúli Mogensen says his airline will offer “one of the lowest fares ever” from North America to Tel Aviv, starting at $199 one-way. Bookings open today.
It’s the first destination for the airline outside of Europe and North America.
“We are thrilled to add Tel Aviv to our growing list of overseas destinations for Canadians,” said Mogensen. “By adding a third continent to our ever-expanding roster of destinations, we can continue connecting Canadians with their dream destinations at the best possible prices.”
Like most ultra-low-cost carriers WOW air doesn’t pay commission, and the flights aren’t direct. Passengers can layover in Reykjavik for as long as they wish with the WOW Stopover program.
“We set a goal to bring new airlines to Israel, so I’m happy and congratulate WOW air, which is known for its long haul low cost flights, on its entry into Israel in cooperation with the Israeli tourism ministry,” says Yariv Levin, Israel Minister of Tourism. “I’m confident the launching of this new historic route will significantly increase the number of tourists traveling to Israel from Iceland, Canada and the U.S., and will also contribute to the unprecedented trend of growth in the number of tourists visiting Israel over the last number of months.”