Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport began operating limited outbound flights on Sunday for the first time since the war broke out over a week ago, as thousands of stranded Israelis abroad continued to fly home as well.
The flights are being run by all four Israeli airlines, led by flag carrier El Al, under a series of restrictions due to the ongoing conflict, with about 100 passengers per flight.
Passengers have been instructed to arrive at the airport no more than two hours before their flight due to continuing missile attacks in Israel, the Israel Airports Authority said.
Israeli citizens wishing to depart on the flights must sign a waiver stating they will not return to the country for at least 30 days after departure.
Some 15 percent of all outbound seats will be reserved for “humanitarian and security” cases as well as for tourists and diplomats still in Israel, according to criteria set by the Israeli Transportation Ministry.
The move came three days after Israel’s main international airport partially reopened to inbound flights to bring home tens of thousands of Israelis stranded abroad by the war.
Aviation officials estimated that all the Israelis abroad will be brought home by the end of the week.
El Al announced over the weekend that it had completed assigning all ticketed customers to repatriation flights from 22 gateways back to Israel.
More than 100,000 Israelis were abroad when the conflict broke out on February 28, while some 33,000 foreign tourists were in Israel.
Last week, thousands of tourists in Israel, as well as Israelis abroad, traveled via land border crossing through Egypt to get home.
Almost all foreign carriers have suspended service to Tel Aviv.
Israeli travel agents said Sunday that “lessons have been learned” in the local aviation industry from past wartime conflicts.
“We see good preparation, faster response to changes in the security situation, and close cooperation between Israeli airlines, the Ministry of Transportation, and tourism companies,” said Shirley Cohen Orkaby, vice president at Israel’s Eshet Tours. “Israeli airlines and tourism companies continue to demonstrate resilience and responsibility even in difficult conditions and are making every effort to return Israelis to the country safely and in accordance with the guidelines, and to evacuate as many as possible who are required to do so.”
The latest conflict comes after more than two years of repeated travel disruption and amid allegations of price gouging by Israel’s national carrier, which is facing a $39 million fine, subject to a hearing, by the Israel Competition Authority.
“On the one hand, it is clear that the situation of [high demand] creates pressure on prices, but on the other hand, the public expects the national airline to show sensitivity during such a period,” Yoni Waksman, deputy chairman of Israel’s Ophir Tours, told JNS on Sunday. “Therefore, the public debate regarding prices during the war is understandable and legitimate.”
“Foreign carriers have not only stopped flying to Israel. Their inability to assist the tens of thousands of their passengers is a black eye and the terrible service they offer will reverberate and benefit, once more, the Israeli carriers,” Mark Feldman, CEO of Jerusalem’s Ziontours, told JNS. “One may question El Al’s profits, but once more, when push came to shove, El Al has stepped up.”
