British billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson in Israel. (Flash90) Flash90

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Richard Branson arrived in the Jewish state to launch Virgin Atlantic’s new direct route to Israel from the UK.

By JNS

British billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson, the chairman of Virgin Atlantic, arrived in Israel on Wednesday to inaugurate the airline’s new route from London’s Heathrow Airport to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

Branson exited the plane with flight attendants waving Israeli and British flags and then bent down and kissed the ground.

He praised Israel’s entrepreneurial spirit and advances in space technology

Branson said that he opposes boycotts and that his company is “invested” in both Israel and the Palestinian sector, reported i24 News.

He also noted that the addition of this route will help push down airline fares to and from Israel.

The flight from London to Tel Aviv takes five hours, and will be served by Virgin’s Airbus A330-300 aircraft.