Corona crisis hits airline industry • Companies announce temporary cessation of flights abroad • El AL on route • All details

In a very painful move, two smaller airlines in Israel, Arkia and Ishair, decided that in the coming days they would disable all their international operations.

Netanyahu: 'Anyone who comes from abroad will be in isolation' // Photo: Omer Meron / GPO

Tonight (Monday) El Al held an emergency hearing and as expected, it will also significantly reduce its activities. El Al CEO Gonen Ussishkin said this evening that "El Al sees paramount value in preserving air routes to and from Israel even during emergencies and will therefore continue to operate flights to America, Europe and Africa, according to demand and need."

Following the government announcement tonight about isolation for all Israelis returning from abroad, and at the same time announcements of prohibiting foreign nationals from entering Israel and despite the significant drop in demand for future flights, the company announced that they will continue to operate flights according to demand, out of national responsibility to maintain as far as possible the air routes from Israel and into the open. This, the company said, was forced to delay the opening of the lines to Chicago, Tokyo and Dusseldorf this summer.

This is an exceptional, extreme and unprecedented step, which means that the State of Israel is isolated. All other international airlines operating in Israel are expected to stop flying to Israel already in the coming days and if there is no significant change in the coming days, we are expected to enter a period when the sky in Israel will be completely closed.

Ben Gurion Airport will be empty, thousands of workers will be taken on vacations or be fired, at airlines, airports, contractors operating at the airport and many other factors in the tourism industry that will have to deal with the most difficult period in the history of the State of Israel.

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So far, their flights to Israel have stopped or reduced dozens of companies, including major companies such as Air France, Lufthansa Group, Cathay Pacific, Hainan and Alitalia. Now, more companies are expected to take similar steps.

British airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, Dutch KLM, Turkish Turkish Airlines and Russian Aeroflot are just some of the big companies expected to minimize and possibly stop their flights to Israel in the near future.

This is a very severe blow to the Israeli aviation and tourism industry, a blow whose damage can only be estimated after the difficult period that is now apparent seems to be expanding.

Israir said: "Following the announcement by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Health, the company will operate by the end of the week to return all its passengers staying in the sand. The company will then cancel its scheduled international flights by the end of March.

Flights in the national routes from Haifa and Ben Gurion Airport to Ramon will continue as it is. It is a difficult time for the aviation and tourism industry in the State of Israel to wish a quick recovery to patients and hope that it will be possible to return to a good life path soon. "