Virgin Atlantic will launch a non-stop flight between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv on September 25, 2019.

According to the airline, the new daily flight will be operated with an Airbus A330-300, offering approximately 20 tonnes of belly capacity per flight.

The route is expected to carry exports from Tel Aviv such as high-value precious stones, fresh produce, high-tech and electrical products, pharmaceutical and express shipments to prime markets in the UK and US. It will also offer opportunities for companies in the UK and US exporting a wide range of cargo to Israel.

“This is a really exciting new route for us and plays to our strengths in terms of quick connections to and from US and our proven expertise in carrying the major types of products moving in and out of Israel,” said Dominic Kennedy, managing director of Virgin Atlantic Cargo. “We know customers will welcome not only the choice of more capacity but also the opportunity to benefit from our network reach and service levels. We expect cargo to make a significant contribution to the success of the route.”

The new route will help meet growing demand for cargo capacity, with total volumes into Israel having increased by about 17% in 2018. Shipments of pharmaceuticals to Tel Aviv were particularly strong, having grown by 35% in 2018, according to market data.