December 17, 2012

(JTA) — The Hungarian airline Wizz Air has started operating low-cost regular flights from Budapest to Tel Aviv.

The maiden flight took off on Dec. 6 from Budapest with 175 passengers, Wizz Air said in a statement. Fares are available from $70 and can be booked online.

The first flight of the reported first low-cost line connecting the two countries featured a fashion show at 30,000 feet, with a team of six models from Russia strutting along the aisle wearing fairy tale-themed clothes designed by Frau Blau – an Israeli fashion house.

“The idea was to have the first flight bring Israeli culture, via fashion, to Hungary,” said Rebecca Mandel of Bottom Line Consulting, the Tel Aviv-based PR agency that organized the show. Passengers were kept in the dark about the fashion show until they became airborne.

Noaz Bar, Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, said he was confident that the new service – which for the time being operates four flights a week – would increase the number of tourists visiting Israel.

Wizz Air said it plans to start operating a daily flight in June.

According to Chabad Budapest, thousands of Israeli tourists visit Hungary every year. The city has a community of approximately 1,000 Israeli expats and businessmen that divide their time between the two countries.

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