Arkia has removed its planned Tel Aviv–Ho Chi Minh City service from its winter 2026/27 schedule and will now launch Tel Aviv–Tokyo Narita with an Airbus A340-300 operated by USC instead of Hi Fly’s A330-200. The Tokyo route remains set to start on 25 October 2026 with two weekly flights, while the A340-300 is scheduled to operate Tel Aviv–Hanoi first before moving onto the Japan service.
The changes come as Arkia reshapes its long-haul wet-lease programme shortly before the East Asia launches. The Vietnam route had been planned as a weekly service from late October, but it has now been dropped without explanation. Tokyo remains part of the airline’s wider expansion in Asia, with the switch in aircraft altering both capacity and operating profile for the new route. The revised schedule also indicates that the A340-300 will cover Hanoi between 9 and 31 October before its deployment on the Narita flights.