Spain like most countries in Europe continue to celebrate their close ties with Isreal by launching direct flights to Tel Aviv from Malaga joining their direct flights from Madrid and Barcelona direct to Israel.

THE first direct flight between Malaga and Tel Aviv will start on May 28 with two services a week according to operator El Al.

The route will initially operate until the end of October and the airline is expecting to run the flights at high capacity as the Costa del Sol is an attractive destination for Israeli tourists.

Walter Wasercier, El Al director for Spain and Portugal, said "There are six tour operators marketing this route, in which 70 to 80 per cent of travellers will be Israeli and the rest will be Andalucian tourists."

The flights will take five hours and the route will be serviced by Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which can carry 185 passengers split between economy and business class.

Flights will operate on Thursday and Sunday until October 26 with departure from Malaga at 11.55pm and from Tel Aviv at 6.05pm

This is wonderful news for the Jewish , Christians and Muslim communities living on the Costa Del Sol as thousands head towards Israel every year to celebrate various religious holidays. As the director of tourism in Spain said, " Israel is the only country in the Middle East that welcomes all religions from various backgrounds to integrate and pray in peace. One must remember there are over 1.6 million Arabs living in Israel"