Israel’s flagship airline El Al announced recently that it will launch direct flights from Tel Aviv to the Asian capitals Manila, Seoul, and Hanoi, with three weekly flights to each destination as reported by news agency Xinhua. Manila and Hanoi will start in October 2026 while Seoul will come online from March 2027.
The new Tel Aviv-Manila route marks the first-ever direct air connection between Israel and the Philippines, with flights taking around 11 hours to Manila and 12 hours 20 minutes on the return, El Al said. The route will be served by a Boeing 787-9. According to the Philippines embassy to Israel, some 25,000 Israeli annually visit the Southeast Asian archipelago. The Philippines hope to boost this number to 35,000.
The airline’s Hanoi service is due to start on October 24, 2026. El Al will operate 3 weekly services, every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, subject to government approval. El Al new route will complement existing direct flights operated by Israeli airline Arkia, which offers one weekly service from Tel Aviv to Hanoi ( 2 weekly flights from March 5, 2026).
El Al will also operate direct flights from Tel Aviv to Seoul. The route, previously served by South Korea’s flag carrier Korean Air, was suspended after the multi-front conflict broke out on Oct. 7, 2023.
“The new routes will provide an optimal solution for business travelers and help strengthen economic ties between Israel and Asian countries,” the Israeli airline said.
El Al plans also to add frequencies to Tokyo with 5 weekly services from Tel Aviv to Narita airport, starting from April 12. The Israeli carrier will also boost frequencies to Thailand with 2 additional weekly services to Bangkok from the summer season.
