A Bloomberg report said that Israel faces commercial isolation as international airlines continue to suspend their flights and stop direct flights for months between Tel Aviv and dozens of major global cities such as Washington, San Francisco, Toronto, Hong Kong and New Delhi. This caused a reduction in business meetings, and also negatively affected air freight of goods.
Bloomberg indicated that of the 20 airline companies that controlled the Israeli aviation market before the war on the Gaza Strip that broke out on October 7, 2023, flying stopped completely for most foreign companies, leaving only some Israeli companies operating in the abandoned Ben Gurion Airport. .
According to Ben Gurion Airport authorities, the number of aircraft and passengers to and from Israel decreased by 40% during the first nine months of this year compared to the same period last year.
A Bloomberg report monitored an increase in flight ticket prices by 50% to 400%.
Air freight costs also doubled by more than 250%, causing a significant impact on the price level and exacerbating the inflation problem.
On the other hand, Bloomberg said that the Israeli airline El Al increased its control over the aviation market in Israel to 46% of the total flights, as it was the biggest beneficiary of these conditions.
She added that it achieved net profits amounting to $228 million in the first half of 2024, an 8-fold increase compared to the same period last year, but indicated that these profits came at a high cost to consumers due to their lack of options.
Most international airlines suspended their flights to and from Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, most notably:
- Turkish Airlines suspended flights from October 10, 2023 until March 2025.
- KLM has suspended its flights until December 31, 2024.
- British EasyJet has suspended its flights until March 29, 2025.
- British Airways has suspended its flights until the end of March 2025.
- Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong) suspended flights until 27 March 2025.
- American Airlines has suspended flights until March 2025, and has removed flights to and from Israel from its website until summer 2025.
- The American company Delta Airlines has suspended flights to and from Israel until the end of March 2025.
- Irish Ryanair has canceled all its flights to and from Israel until December 31, 2024, and has removed Israel from the online booking list until April 2025.
- Air Canada has suspended all flights to and from Israel until December 31, 2024.
- Dutch Transavia has suspended flights to and from Israel until March 31, 2025.
- Hungarian Wizz Air has canceled its flights to and from Israel until January 14, 2025.
- Spain’s Vueling has suspended all flights to and from Israel until January 2025.
