Ryanair has launched its Israel winter 2017 schedule, with 19 routes, some 15 of which are new.

The low-cost carrier will operate seven new Tel Aviv routes later this year, with flights from Baden Baden, Gdansk, Krakow, Milan Bergamo, Paphos, Poznan and Wroclaw on offer.

At the same time, eight new Eilat Ovda routes will be added to the schedule, from Baden Baden, Berlin, Brussels Charleroi, Frankfurt Hahn, Gdansk, Milan Bergamo, Poznan and Warsaw.

The new flights are in addition to existing routes to Bratislava, Budapest, Krakow and Kaunas.

In Tel Aviv, Ryanair spokesman David O’Brien said: “We appreciate the tireless work of minister Yariv Levin and his officials to bring tourist flights to Israel and establish Eilat as a viable alternative to competing sunshine destinations in Europe.

“We should of course acknowledge the vision of transport minister Yisrael Katz who championed Israel’s entry to Open Skies in 2013 resulting in a 30 per cent increase in flights to Tel Aviv in the last three years.”

Image credit: Oded Karni