Monarch Airlines has announced two new scheduled routes to Israel from London Luton Airport. 

The airline will start flying to Tel Aviv (Ben Gurion Airport) and Ovda Airport in December of this year, with tickets on sale now.

The airline previously operated flights to Israel as part of its charter service more than a decade ago and now, following a recent in-depth review of its scheduled network, the airline will be flying to Tel Aviv and Ovda – the gateway to Eilat.

The direct flights will operate three times a week to Tel Aviv (Monday, Thursday and Sunday) and once a week, on a Thursday to Ovda.

Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport is ideally located for the city itself and Jerusalem, with transfer times of 20-25 minutes and 40-50 minutes respectively.

The flight time is just five hours, making it the ideal location for a short break or extended holiday.

Tel Aviv has been growing in popularity over recent years as a leisure destination with a mix of both the contemporary and the classic; there is a wide choice of hotels, restaurants, shops, museums and stretches of beautiful beaches.

Ovda Airport is just a 45 minute transfer to the popular beach resort of Eilat.

Renowned for all year round sunshine, a minimum of nine hours a day, Eilat is the ideal choice for a winter holiday.

Located at the northern most point of the Red Sea it offers beautiful beaches, a host of water sports and some of the best diving in the world with an extensive choice of hotels, restaurants and sightseeing opportunities.

Andrew Swaffield, chief executive, Monarch Group commented: “These two new scheduled routes are the result of the ongoing work we are doing to develop our winter programme which showcases a number of winter sun and ski destinations.

“Tel Aviv and Ovda are growing in popularity once more with tourists and with the diverse offerings of both these destinations we are sure they will be a very popular choice for winter short breaks and holidays.

“We are also looking forward to welcoming visitors from Israel to the UK.”