New Israeli low-cost airline Air Haifa took off yesterday morning (Monday) on its maiden flight on the Tel Aviv-Larnaca route. When the plane returned from Larnaca, the passengers were surprised to find that it was almost empty. At this period, a peak season in the Israeli aviation industry, an empty plane is an unusual phenomenon, particularly now, when the security escalation has led to extensive flight cancellations, and demand is concentrated on a small number of airlines still operating in Israel.
Less than a week ago, the European Union's aviation safety agency EASA rescinded the recommendation not to fly in Israeli skies, which it issued shortly after the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah at the end of September. The recommendation exacerbated the wave of cancellations that had begun even before it was issued, and caused many airlines to suspend their operations in Israel.
Although the recommendation has been removed, three airlines announced yesterday that they would extend their freezes on flights to Israel: Air France, Neos, and Aegean. They join Wizz Air and Lot, which have announced the suspension of flights in the last two days.
Air Haifa did not take off from Haifa Airport as planned, but from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, but there was doubt about whether it would operate at all at this time, and not just for security reasons. Industry experts questioned whether Haifa Airport could be revived, because of its limited infrastructure and inability to extend its runways. The also cast doubt on the low-cost model of the company, which, unlike other low-cost companies, operates small planes with few seats.
As passengers testified, some tickets for Air Haifa’s return flight from Larnaca were sold for just $60, ostensibly making it very attractive for Israelis left stranded abroad by cancellations by other airlines.
By contrast with Air Haifa, when Romanian airline Bees Airlines began operating flights at Ben Gurion in September, it managed to fill its maiden flight from Bucharest completely.
Why should a Romanian airline succeed in filling a plane from Bucharest, while an Israeli airline fails to do the same from Larnaca? Aviation sources say that demand has fallen in advance of the Sukkot holiday, despite expectations of peak demand in this period. They also explain that the military escalation in the past month and the extensive drafting of reserve soldiers have affected the considerations of Israelis in deciding whether to travel.
In other developments in aviation in Israel, Arkia has launched a new direct route to Manchester, while Cyprus Airways has restored service to Israel and Air Seychelles is about to do so.
There has also been a sharp rise in the number of passengers turning up for flights carrying weapons. Figures from the Security Division at Ben Gurion Airport show that various weapons were found in the hand luggage of dozens of passengers in September. The phenomenon has worsened in the past few days, against a background of increased security tension and the growth in the number of civilians carrying handguns.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 15, 2024.
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