Following Israir’s announcement last week that it was suspending Tel Aviv - Marrakesh flights, Arkia has now also halted ticket sales for the same route until further notice, in response to a directive from Israel’s security authorities. "The company is in contact with the relevant authorities and security officials, exploring the possibility of continuing to operate the route, as well as the implications for tickets that have already been sold," Arkia stated.
Arkia, which has been operating flights to Marrakesh since last August, indicated that it is currently evaluating the future of the route. Should Israeli authorities ultimately decide to halt flights by Israeli carriers to Morocco, the airline will consider alternative options, such as operating flights through commercial partners or utilizing leased aircraft.
Meanwhile, although Israir had announced just three weeks ago that it was expanding its operations in Morocco, the plan was put on hold last week "Following the incident on a flydubai flight and the new security directives issued in its wake."
The route to Tokyo is also in question
While the circumstances are quite different, this is not the only route for which Arkia has cancelled ticket sales this month. Last June, Arkia announced that, following in the footsteps of El Al, it would launch direct flights to Tokyo, Japan, starting in October. However, about two weeks ago, the company announced that some flights to Tokyo would be cancelled.
"Unfortunately, despite the extensive efforts the company has made with the Japanese authorities, they are currently not permitting the operation of these flights using 'wet-leased' aircraft - a method Arkia currently employs for some of its flights to various destinations worldwide."
Meanwhile, the complex situation involving Israeli airlines in Dubai persists. The parties have failed to reach a solution that would satisfy the Israeli security establishment and allow flights to the country to restart.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 21, 2026.
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