MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

El Al to fly between Tel Aviv and Buenos Aires

Milei and Netanyahu will sign the agreement on June 11

Argentina's Ambassador to Israel, Axel Wahnish, confirmed Friday in a broadcast interview that the flag carrier El Al will start a direct service between Tel Aviv and Buenos Aires to be agreed upon during President Javier Milei's next meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 11 when the South American leader travels to receive during a special ceremony at the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) the Genesis Award, an accolade deemed tantamount to “the Jewish Nobel.”

Wahnish estimated that the new flight would reduce travel between the two capitals to a maximum of 15 to 16 hours, a significant improvement from the current options, all of which include stopover time at a connecting airport. It will also boost economic, touristic, and cultural ties between the two countries, thus highlighting the mutual bond and “union between the two peoples.”

“Never in history has there been this link, and this is the way to demonstrate it,” the ambassador insisted.

The Genesis Award consists of US$ 1 million for programs fostering Latin America–Israel relations, recognized for his strong support for Israel, including reversing anti-Israel UN votes and designating Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.

In Wahnish's view, the understanding to be signed by Milei and Netanyahu will represent “a before and an after” while being “an incentive at an economic, touristic, and cultural level.” Milei and Netanyahu will also sign a memorandum of understanding regarding the fight against terrorism.

“It is difficult to explain the level of admiration for President Milei in Israel. Today, he is the most recognized leader in Israeli society, a leader with moral clarity, who knows how to stand on the right side and condemn terrorism,” Wahnish told Buenos Aires' Radio Mitre.

Milei's trip will also include stops in Rome to meet Pope Leo XIV and in France for talks with his local colleague Emmanuel Macron.

Meanwhile, the Argentine government authorized under its “open skies policies” Domus Airways SA, a company with Argentine and US capital, to operate domestic and international passenger and cargo flights, despite it never having operated or owned aircraft. Domus Airways, founded in 2018, was granted permits for routes linking Buenos Aires to Córdoba, Mendoza, Neuquén, Lima, Miami, and Houston, among other destinations. The airline must still obtain an Air Services Operating Certificate from the Civil Aviation National Administration (ANAC) to start operating.