SkyEurope Airlines to operate weekly from Israel to Bratislava

Yehuda Zafrani, manager for marketing at Ophir Tours, forecast a growth of 90 percent in the number of Israelis visiting Slovakia in the next year.

By SHELLY PAZ
Slovakian low-cost carrier SkyEurope first took to the air in Europe in March 2002. It is represented in Israel by Ophir Tours and offers Israelis affordable flights to Slovakia and Austria. SkyEurope operates a fleet of 15 Boeing 737 airplanes and flies to 41 destinations in 19 European countries. Starting on Wednesday, Israel will joint this list with a single weekly flight. Israelis will be able to fly with SkyEurope to Stefanik Airport, 15 km. from Bratislava and 60 km. from Vienna. Yehuda Zafrani, deputy general manager for marketing at Ophir Tours, said the company and the Tourism Ministry were currently holding the first joint Israeli-Slovakian tourism conference in Bratislava in an attempt to expand the marketing of Slovakia as a central destination in Europe with easy connections to other countries in the continent, including to spas and ski resorts in Poland, Austria, Hungary and elsewhere. Zafrani forecast a growth of 90 percent in the number of Israelis visiting Slovakia in the next year because of the new SkyEurope flight. It joins Air Slovakia's weekly Monday flight to Bratislava, which is also marketed by Ophir Tours. Ophir Tours will launch the new route by offering discounted plane tickets, package deals and tour guided trips whose price will range from $399-$949.