Israeli flag-carrier El Al has announced it will be launching a new Tel Aviv-bound route from Stansted Airport from June to run through the summer.

The route, which will operate Sunday to Thursday from June 28 to at least September 3, will be El Al third’s Israel-bound flight from the capital and the first to depart from Stansted since May 2009. The airline already flies from Luton and Heathrow.

Return fares will initially price at £280, with flights pencilled in to leave London at 8:30pm and arrive in Israel the following morning at 3:25am. Flights will depart from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion at 4pm and arrive back at Stansted at 7:15pm.

Stansted’s Head of Aviation Nick Sime said: “We are very pleased to welcome El Al Israel Airlines back to London Stansted.

"In excess of 700,000 people already travel from our catchment area to Tel Aviv each year so it’s fantastic El Al has recognised the great opportunity that exists at Stansted and is offering people living in North London and the East of England a quicker and more convenient travel option.”

El Al will be adding to the five weekly flights from Stansted operated by low-cost airlines Arkia and Easyjet.

El Al’s new route will also compete with Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, which fly to Ben Gurion from Heathrow, and Wizz Air, which flies from Luton.

El Al will be laying on a 166-seat Boeing B737-800, configured with business and economy classes.

Michael Strassburger, El Al’s vice-president commercial and industrial affairs, added: “El Al continues to expand its operations across the UK and is excited to return and fly from London Stansted.”

Last year was a bumper year for El Al’s London routes, which carried some 350,000 passengers, a 47 per cent increase on 2018.

El Al has been expanding its operations in Britain since it returned to Manchester in 2019, after an 18-year hiatus.

The airline recently announced that it would open new direct flights between Tel Aviv and Chicago and Tokyo in March and to Dublin and Dusseldorf this summer.