Airlines cancel Israel flights after government’s 14-day quarantine decision

Several airlines have cancelled their flights to Israel after the government announced the mandatory and provable 14-day quarantine of everyone coming from abroad.

Airlines taking the decision to suspend all or some of their Israel-bound services include Wizz Air, El Al, Aero Mexico, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines.

British Airways said it had not yet cancelled any flights but that it was currently reviewing its schedule while recognising a “fast-changing situation”.

Lufthansa Group’s airlines usually offer twelve daily flights to Tel Aviv, plus one scheduled weekly service to Eilat, but this week the German company said it “was forced to make these cancellations for economic and operational reasons, as many passengers are no longer entitled to enter the country”.

On Tuesday evening an El Al night flight to Tel Aviv was cancelled, among the first UK-Israel casualties following Jerusalem’s announcement on Monday evening.

A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman said the company took the decision after Israeli authorities advised that from Thursday of this week they would bar all international travellers who could not prove that they will be placed in home quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.

“As a result, we have taken the decision to temporarily suspend our services between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv,” the spokeswoman said.

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and any customers booked to travel should visit our website for the latest information and contact us via our SMS messaging system +44(0) 7481 339184 for re-booking and refund options.”

A spokesman for the Jewish Agency of Israel said there were no group aliyah flights at this time of year, with these typically arranged for the summer.

He said: “We are operating in full compliance with instructions provided by the Ministry of Health and in coordination with the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. We brief all new Olim accordingly, including with updated information and requirements. We are closely tracking developments, on a global basis.”