Many airlines continue to fly: How safe are flights to Israel?

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As an exception, Switzerland only flies to Tel Aviv on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while other commercial airlines operate flights to and from Israel. The website of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport prominently states, “Dear passengers, please note that the airport remains operational.”

In addition to Israel’s largest airline, El Al, various international airlines also maintain air traffic: There are regular flights from Israel to Dubai with Emirates, to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, and even to distant destinations such as Korea and Mexico.

Aviation authorities are not stepping back

Considering that there is officially a war in Israel, devastating memories of the shooting down of a Malaysian Airlines plane over Ukraine in 2014 immediately come to mind. At that time, 298 people lost their lives. Do airlines that continue to fly to Israel risk a similar fate?

One thing is clear: Neither the European aviation agency Easa nor the US aviation authority FAA has imposed restrictions on flights to and from Israel. There are restrictions only in Russia, online portal Simple Flying reported. The Russian aviation authority has banned night flights to the conflict zone.

Easa sent an information bulletin only to European airlines. The report states, among other things, that it can be assumed that “Israeli authorities currently effectively control risks to civil aviation.” Airlines must ensure they have carried out a “robust risk assessment”, have contingency plans in place and can respond quickly to instructions from Israeli authorities.

The international organization Ops Group, which is considered the guardian of security in the aviation industry, is acting more cautiously. Industry portal Aerotelegraph writes that the plane issued a “do not fly” warning. “There is a high risk that the passenger aircraft will become a victim of this war,” the Ops Group writes in its security briefing.

It strongly recommends that airlines delete all destinations in Israel from their flight schedules and carefully avoid Israeli airspace, even when flying to regions such as Jordan. Israeli airline El Al’s decision to repatriate some Israelis who were called up for military service could make commercial flights even more of a target in the eyes of Hamas.

Many airlines, including all other Lufthansa subsidiaries such as Swiss & Austrian Airlines or Brussels Airlines, appear to share the Ops Group’s view. Their flights have been suspended until at least Saturday of this week.

Hamas hopes for closure

Meanwhile, Israeli officials are doing their best to spread confidence in airlines: Israel’s civil aviation authority is constantly monitoring the situation. “Delays can be expected,” so airlines should plan for adequate fuel. However, there is no mention of a possible rocket launch.

This is not a coincidence, but should be understood as a political message: Closing Ben Gurion International Airport would be a victory for Hamas. Israeli authorities will do their best to prevent this.

Source :Blick