Ryanair adds 15 routes to Israel for sun-seeking Europeans

JERUSALEM, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Ryanair is adding 15 new routes between Europe and Israel to cater for Europeans seeking a milder climate in the winter, the Irish low-cost carrier said on Wednesday.

Europe's largest airline entered the Israeli market in late 2015 with seasonal flights between October and March from Budapest, Bratislava, Krakow in Poland and Kaunas in Lithuania to Ovda Airport, which is north of the Red Sea resort Eilat.

Ryanair said these routes, which came after Israel signed an Open Skies agreement with the European Union in 2012, were "performing well". The deal has led to a 30 percent increase in flights to Tel Aviv the past three years.

From October 2017, Ryanair will add twice weekly flights to Ovda Airport from Baden Baden, Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Milan and Polish cities Warsaw, Gdansk and Poznan.

It will also add seven new routes to Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv from Baden Baden, Gdansk, Milan, Poznan, Krakow and Wroclaw in Poland and Paphos in Cyprus.

David O'Brien, Ryanair's chief commercial officer, said the airline was working with Israel's Tourism Ministry to "establish Eilat as a viable alternative to competing sunshine destinations in Europe."

Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said the significant expansion of Ryanair should cut the cost of fares to and from Israel, while "expressing great confidence in Israeli tourism."

The ministry offers subsidies to encourage low cost airlines to fly to Israel. (Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Keith Weir)