Arkia Marks First Israeli Aircraft Landing in Svalbard

Arkia said it completed the first Israeli aircraft landing at Longyearbyen Airport in Norway's Svalbard archipelago, about 1,300 kilometers from the North Pole. The published accounts say the project included four special Arctic flights on an Arkia Airbus A320, with a Helsinki refueling stop, and was run with Spirit World Productions and Roey Galitz's Phototeva Travel Expeditions. Longyearbyen is described as the world's northernmost commercial airport with scheduled service and a gateway to Svalbard. Arkia executives said the mission required special logistical preparation and showed the airline's ability to handle complex long-range operations beyond routine service.