Despite the decision of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to lift its recommendation against flying to Israel, European airlines are still reluctant to fly to Israel. Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air has canceled all flights until at least October 23, and Polish airline LOT has postponed all flights until November 1.
The European Aviation Safety Agency’s initial recommendation not to travel to Israel until the end of October came after the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah on September 27. Israeli government ministers succeeded in convincing the agency to cancel the recommendation, but the airlines did not like it.
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Even Greek airline Bluebird Airways, partly owned by Israelis and which said it was set to resume flights, has in practice found it difficult to do so due to difficulties raised by Greek aviation authorities. Air Europa, which canceled its flights until the end of the month, has shortened the cancellation period to October 21.
“Insurance companies do not agree”
During the discussion of this issue in the Knesset Economic Committee last week, a representative of the Civil Aviation Authority insisted that the main problem is that air crews do not want to spend the night in Israel.
But many other participants including Adv. Shirley Kazer of law firm FBC felt that the main problem was the reluctance of insurance companies to cover flights to Israel. “Before the Iranian attack in April, foreign companies pledged that if the state helped subsidize insurance, as it does with Israelis, there would be a quick return for them to Israel,” she said. “We contacted the Ministries of Finance, Economy and Tourism and did not receive any response.”
Chairman of the Knesset Economic Committee, MK David Biton (Likud), said: “There is a very simple solution. We also need to engage as we do with El Al, Israel, and Arkia. But six months after the first Iranian attack, it is unclear whether Foreign airlines will return even if the Israeli government insures them.
Arkia CEO Oz Berlowitz said: “Insurance companies do not approve, or charge very high premiums, for aircraft that touch Israeli territory. The State of Israel provides coverage only for Israeli aircraft and not for charter aircraft. In fact, it grants an insurance premium for protection during war, If there was no such thing, no plane would take off from here.”
In the coming days, there will be no scheduled flights for major European airlines including Lufthansa Group, British Airways and Air France.
Published by Globes, Israel Business News – en.globes.co.il – on October 13, 2024.
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