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DALLAS – Irish low-cost carrier (LCC) Ryanair (FR) has canceled all flights to and from Israel during March and April in response to the situation in Gaza.
Though FR does not fly to Israel from the UK or Ireland, it does operate flights from several cities in Europe, including Brussels (CRL), Vienna (VIE), Malta (MLA), Budapest (BUD), Poznan (POZ), Bucharest (OTP), Vilnius (VNO) and Marseille (MRS).
A spokesperson for the Irish carrier confirmed that the airline canceled all its flights to and from Israel starting February 27 after Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) closed its low-cost Terminal 1, which FR previously used. The LCC has been contacting passengers booked to fly to Israel on its flights to either change the date or claim a refund.
Airlines operating from Terminal 3 must pay higher fees than Terminal 1, with lower airport taxes. This difference in fees allowed low-cost carriers, predominantly operated from Terminal 1 before the operation began, to save on costs and offer lower fares to passengers. Ryanair, the first LCC to resume direct flights to Israel on February 1, had to operate from Terminal 3, which almost all airlines that resumed flights to Israel had initially been used before the conflict began.
According to israelhayom.com, FR inquired with the authorities about the possibility of receiving lower charges at Terminal 3, but this request was denied. The FR spokesperson said that the airline remained "committed to Tel Aviv and looks forward to resuming operations when the low-cost Terminal 1 is re-opened. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to passengers as a result of these regrettable cancellations.”
Flight Disruptions Due to the Israel-Hamas Conflict
While there was hope that many airlines would restart scheduled services to Israel in the coming weeks, the recent escalation of hostilities in the region has forced airlines to reconsider the restart dates for their flights to Israel.
Ryanair is offering affected passengers the option to rebook for later dates or receive a refund, as it’s not operating flights to or from Israel. The LCC had already canceled its flights to Israel on October 7 but recently renewed some of them.
"You are entitled to be re-routed to your final destination, under comparable transport conditions, either at the earlier opportunity to at a later data at your convenience, subject to availability."
Ryanair
On October 7, 2023, following the attacks by Hamas militants on Israel, most international airlines suspended their scheduled flights to the country. Israel’s flag carrier, El Al (LY), privately owned airlines Israir (6H) and Arkia (IZ) have been operating flights their flights throughout this period, providing much-needed air connectivity at this time. You can see a timeline of airlines to resume flights to Israel here.
Feature Image: Ryanair 9H-QDK Boeing 737-800. Photo: Julian Schöpfer/Airways
https://airwaysmag.com/airlines-resume-flights-israel/
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