Israel Active

The new 3-days-a-week Air India service from Tel Aviv to Delhi is so popular, that it is being increased to a daily service. The route began in March, making history when Saudi Arabia, for the first time, gave permission for an airline to fly direct to Israel over its territory, reducing the flight time by 2 hours.

El Al is to train civilians to become commercial pilots in Florida, USA, commencing in December. The new course is for Israeli citizens, at least 21 years old with matriculation certificates and no previous flying experience. There is a growing shortage of pilots worldwide.

The latest Bank of Israel analysis of the domestic financial system shows that it remains stable. However, there is greater likelihood of an economic or geopolitical shock originating abroad. Looking long-term, the strength of most industries in the business sector has improved.

I’ve reported previously on Israel’s Softwheel and its revolutionary new wheel technology.  The latest news is that Softwheel is partnering car-maker Ford and truck-maker Iveco. Both companies are embarking on electric vehicle projects and have chosen Softwheel to give them a smooth ride.

Israel’s Salt of the Earth has implemented an extensive (NIS 1 million plus) program to protect waterfowl of all species in its salt pools. It includes a specific island nature reserve. Since the program has started, the population of little terns (Sterna albifrons) has more than tripled.

Georgian airline “MyWay Airlines” launches its first direct flight between Tbilisi and Tel Aviv on 28th June. MyWay is a subsidiary of the China-based Hooling Group established in 1988, and is one of the youngest airlines in Georgia.

Low-cost airline Wizz Air has taken over the London-Eilat route that was formerly operated by now defunct Monarch Airlines. Twice-weekly flights will commence from Oct 28. Wizz already operates services from Eilat’s Ovda airport to Bucharest, Warsaw, and Riga.

Waze co-founder Uri Levine is now piloting Refundit – an app that helps tourists process a VAT refund request on leaving a country. It’s simple, quick, no queues, no closed counters, no need to show the goods and the handling fee drops to 9% from the current 35 - 40%.

Israeli tourism has seen increases of nearly 40% so far in 2018, giving the Israeli economy a $577 million boost in the last five months alone. North America Israel Tourism Commissioner Uri Steinberg explains the latest trends and events on i24NEWS.

Since the original 1997 Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA) came into force, bilateral trade has tripled to more than $1.7 billion and fueled job growth in key Canadian sectors. The recently upgraded CIFTA gives almost limitless possibilities for extending Canadian-Israeli partnerships.