El Al ‘reviewing continued operations’ at Ben Gurion Airport as Israel slashes traffic amid missile fire

El Al Israel Airlines says it is “reviewing its continued operations” at Ben Gurion Airport after the Transportation Ministry ordered a reduction of traffic.

Israel’s flagship carrier, which has been operating repatriation flights since the outbreak of the war with Iran on February 28, calls on authorities to open Ramon Airport near the Red Sea city of Eilat as an alternative to Ben Gurion.

From 5 p.m. today, the number of passengers permitted on a flight departing Ben Gurion Airport will drop to 50 from the current 120, the Transportation Ministry announced yesterday. There will be no restrictions on the number of passengers permitted for arriving flights, but the number of takeoffs and landings at Ben Gurion Airport will be restricted to one per hour.

Separately, Arkia says it is preparing to offer more flights from airports in Egypt’s Taba and Jordan’s Aqaba.

“Arkia will continue to operate responsibly in accordance with the guidelines, while maintaining the safety of its passengers and providing alternative and creative aviation solutions,” says Arkia CEO Oz Berlowitz. “However, under the current framework, regular aviation activity cannot be maintained, as it practically means the closure of Israel’s skies.”

“We will not choose between passengers who have already purchased tickets, and therefore we are preparing to transfer activity to the airports in Aqaba and Taba, to maintain aviation continuity as much as possible,” Berlowitz says.

Arkia says the flights from airports in Aqaba and Taba will be operated by foreign aircraft, as they were at the beginning of the war.

Arkia will also operate minimal traffic from Ben Gurion Airport, including flights to Larnaca and Athens.