Occupied Jerusalem- In the wake of a missile fired by the Houthis at the vicinity of Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, the aviation sector in Israel faces a critical moment that warns of widespread repercussions, not limited to air navigation, but rather extends to the tourism sector, which depends greatly on air openness.
Although the Israeli airports authority announced the resumption of quit and landing operations naturally, European and international airlines rushed to cancel or suspend their flights to Israel, in an indication of the fragility of the security situation and its direct and immediate impact on the Israeli economy.
According to Israeli media, about 100 flights were canceled as soon as the accident was announced, with a variation of the abolition from one company to another, which reflects the size of confusion and uncertainty in international circles.
The cancellation included:
- Austrian and French airlines, “Ryan Air”, Azerbaijani and several other European companies.
- The American “Delta Airlines” and the Polish “Lot” have eliminated individual trips
- German companies such as “Lufthansa”, “ETA”, “Swiss”, “Wizer” and “Air India” have been suspended for 3 days.
- The “Tranavia” and “Iberia” have suspended its two -day flights.
- Pretch Airwiz has suspended its 4 -day flights.
- Meanwhile, United Airlines decided to suspend its flights until Friday, the Israeli Economic newspaper “Globes” reported.
Economic repercussions
This development has sparked an escalating wave of anxiety in the Israeli economic circles, as the next four weeks are seen as a decisive test of Israel’s ability to restore the confidence of global airlines and avoid an escalation that may lead to partial or complete paralysis in its air field.
This situation is expected to be directly reflected in the tourism sector, which is one of the most prominent sources of income for the Israeli economy, especially with the start of the spring season, which usually witnesses the peak in the numbers of tourists.
Experiences of experts and economic journalists reviewed the impact of the strike on the confidence of airlines and the movement of expatriate tourism, and these analyzes also highlighted the economic and security dimensions of the attack, and the potential scenarios of the future of the aviation and tourism sectors in light of the rapid regional changes.
Analysts have warned that the repetition of these attacks or the expansion of threats may lead to gradual erosion in the form of Israel as a safe destination, and pushes the aviation and tourism sectors towards a temporary or extended paralysis.
Confidence
“What we are witnessing today is not just a temporary disturbance, but rather a crisis of confidence that may worsen if Israel does not prove its ability to secure its air field,” says the correspondent of aviation and tourism in the economic newspaper “The Marker”.
She explained that the airlines are moving according to the principle of reducing risk, and any direct threat to biomedical infrastructure – such as Ben Gurion Airport – makes Israel a highly dangerous destination for them.
They added that the repercussions of this crisis will not only be limited to the revenues of the airlines, but will be reflected directly on the tourism sector, especially in light of their coincidence with the peak of the tourist season.
She warned that the continuation of the current situation for an additional few days may lead to losses of millions of shekels, as well as the long -term influence on the image of Israel as a safe tourist destination.
Cautiousness
In turn, economic affairs specialist Amira Breist said that the Israeli aviation sector has been experiencing for more than a year and a half from the lack of certainty, which was reflected in repeated waves of canceling flights, as a result of foreign airlines decisions to freeze their activities inside Israel.
Brick – in his interview with Al Jazeera Net – explained that each airline is conducting accounts based on several factors, most notably insurance considerations, risk management, the difficulty of setting stable operating tables, and the availability of crews.
He pointed out that the decision to resume flights from Ben Gurion Airport and to him is linked to the high profitability of this destination, which drives some companies to leave the door to the resumption of their activities when the security situation improves.
On the other hand, other companies deal with great caution, as some crews refuse to spend the night in a country that lives in a state of war, and with the global shortage of aircraft, and the high demand for flights in Europe, many companies prefer to turn their planes into lower lines and more stable in terms of operational terms.
Economic threat
As for the former head of the Civil Aviation Authority in Israel, Afner Yarkouni, he saw that what happened is an unprecedented development, and he told the Israeli Channel 12 that “this is the first time, according to what I mentioned, in which the Ben Gurion Airport missile is directly hit.”
He pointed to the seriousness of the event, not only in terms of direct damage, but also in terms of economic and security repercussions, stressing that the concern about the wave of canceling flight reservations poses a real threat.
He said: “We are not just a missile, but rather a ballistic missile, and it could have ended with a catastrophe, and the painful truth is that despite all Israel’s defensive capabilities, the missile fell in the heart of Ben Gurion Airport.”
Yarkouni stressed that the decisions to cancel flights are made by airlines independently, and not the governments of the countries to which they belong, but he stressed that the matter requires an urgent diplomatic move from the Israeli government to persuade foreign countries not to escalate the cancellation decisions and work to restore international confidence.
He added: “But I am not sure that the Israeli government currently has enough confidence among the international community to ensure stability, and in the end, the responsibility for restoring confidence remains the responsibility of the civil aviation authority.”
Chaos in tourism
For her part, the CEO of the “Gordon Tourism Group” Sherry Gordon warned of the increasing chaos witnessed by the tourism sector organizing from and to Israel, against the background of canceling flights after targeting Ben Gurion Airport, and called on airlines to assume their responsibilities towards travelers and affected tourism companies.
Gordon explained that starting tomorrow, Wednesday, it is expected that tourist groups that were scheduled to travel on an organized trip to Europe via “Lufthansa”, without an official announcement from the company until now, which prevents tourism companies from taking alternative steps without being subjected to financial penalties.
She added that the Israeli tourism companies incurred heavy losses last year, and that this year they hoped for a direct government intervention to support this vital sector, which occupies tens of thousands of workers, and prevents economic collapses that may harm the companies and citizens alike.
In a statement to the Yisrael Hume newspaper, Gordon confirmed that the organized tourism sector is still facing the crisis without any government support or practical solutions, while continuing to incur losses directly as a result of the security situation and the decisions of foreign airlines are unilateral.
