A team from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Transportation will decide on the mode of operation • The concern: Foreign airlines may cancel flights to Israel, and thousands of Israelis staying abroad will have to look for solutions
Ben Gurion Airport closed again?
Photo:
Yossi Zeliger
While tens of thousands of Israelis spend time in Greece, Bulgaria and other countries around the world, a decision is expected today on the almost complete closure of the airport for outbound flights.
It appears that inbound flights will be able to land in Israel.
A team of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Transportation, headed by Ministers Gabi Ashkenazi and Miri Regev, respectively, will decide on the outline of the activity.
The decision has not yet been made as it entails quite a few problems with it.
The tens of thousands of Israelis who spend time abroad these days are supposed to return to Israel, a figure that on the face of it should not be problematic as incoming flights can land in Israel. However, foreign airlines will consider operating flights to Israel as they will have to take off back to their countries They will be able to fly if Ben Gurion Airport is closed to outbound flights.
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Such a decision creates a situation where the flights are unprofitable for those non-Israeli airlines, and thus it may seem that those flights will be canceled and many Israelis will be stuck abroad and look for solutions to return to Israel.
Cancellation of flights following the closure of the option to leave the country may cause flights to be canceled, and Israelis who hoped to escape the closure and spend the near future abroad, will remain in the country and will have to wait for refunds from the airlines.
In a conversation with officials involved in making the decision, they explain that the decision to close Ben Gurion Airport stems mainly from the fear that Israelis will have to travel to Ben Gurion Airport, thus opening up additional demands from other sectors as a plane ticket will allow traffic while the rest of the country is closed.
