Canceled flights
“Israel is like an island, you can only escape by plane”
Many airlines have suspended their flights to Tel Aviv. This is a catastrophe for Israel, as two experts say. Because the country is practically isolated.
Updated8. October 2023, 4:08 pm
Israel is one of the most important markets for the airline industry, says Kurt Hofmann. He is an aviation expert and conducts many interviews with airline CEOs every year.
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Many flights at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport were canceled on Sunday. Most European airlines no longer fly to the city.
Flightradar24 screenshot
Swiss has stopped its two daily flights to Tel Aviv since Saturday.
20min/Luca La Rocca
“This is a catastrophe, an extremely large number of people are now trapped in Israel,” said former editor-in-chief of the aviation magazine “Cockpit”, Patrick Huber.
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On Saturday, many planes returned to Tel Aviv.
Flightradar24 screenshot
The next direct flight to Zurich with the Israeli airline El Al costs 891 US dollars, which is equivalent to about 810 Swiss francs.
El Al screenshot
With the outbreak of war in Israel, many airlines stopped flying to Tel Aviv.
Switzerland did the same on Saturday.
Israel is like an island, aviation experts say. Practically all border crossings are closed, the only exit is by plane.
The fact that there are practically no planes flying anymore is a catastrophe, especially for tourism.
Lufthansa Group airlines, including Swiss, suspended all scheduled flights to and from Israel on Saturday. Tel Aviv airport remains open and flights continue to be available, as shown in the arrivals table. Two experts explain why air traffic to Israel is so important.
What does the suspension of air traffic mean for tourism?
“This is a catastrophe, thousands of tourists are now stranded in Israel,” says former editor-in-chief of the aviation magazine “Cockpit”, Patrick Huber. Canceling these important flights “hurts a lot”, adds aviation expert Kurt Hofmann. Leaving the country via other transport routes is very difficult: “Israel is like an island, surrounded by countries in conflict. Most national borders are permanently closed.”
What advice would you give to stranded passengers?
You have to wait until the situation calms down: “This reminds me a little of Corona. Flights were announced and suddenly everything was cancelled,” says Huber.
How important is Israel to airlines?
For Kurt Hofmann it is clear that Israel is one of the most important air markets in the world: “Flights to the capital Tel Aviv in particular are very important. This is a highly profitable route.” He estimates that between 500 and 700 passengers fly round-trip with Swiss alone every day. “The connections between the US and Israel are also very important.” According to Flightradar24, on a typical day there are more than 15 flights to North America.
What do you think of the decision to suspend flights to Israel?
Patrick Huber can understand cancellations. Airlines have internal crisis teams that constantly monitor the current situation in all countries. “We are certainly in constant communication with the EDA and then it became clear relatively quickly that continuing flights was too dangerous.” Kurt Hofmann, who conducts many interviews with airline CEOs every year, adds that airlines have a lot of experience in crises and that there are currently some hot spots: “The airspace over Ukraine and Russia is closed, so is Afghanistan. is sensitive and sometimes there are also about African countries. spontaneous closures.”
Why is Israel still airlifted as a potential crisis area?
“There has never been any danger for airlines in recent years, although Israel has always been a hot area,” says aviation expert Patrick Huber. Airlines have always known that Israel is surrounded by restless neighbors. Hofmann says: “The approach to Tel Aviv is one of the safest routes and the airport itself is a high security wing.”
Why do other airlines still fly?
“Airlines based in this region constantly face these conflicts,” says Hofmann. These would therefore have a different evaluation potential. “You can know the situation even better.” Some flights by the state airline El Al to Zurich, Istanbul or Munich are still scheduled for this Sunday. Emirates from Dubai and Ryanair from several European destinations also fly to Ben Gurion Airport, the Israeli capital.
Both aviation experts are currently of the opinion that more and more airlines will cancel their flights. When total shutdown is achieved, planes leaving Israel are full. The first bookable direct flight from Tel Aviv to Zurich with El Al on October 15 costs around 900 francs.
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