Ryanair has announced that it is suspending all flights to and from Israel, just a month after resuming operations. The airline stated that the decision was due to being forced to operate at the more expensive Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion International Airport, which would result in higher airfares for passengers. Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson criticized the airport for keeping the low-cost Terminal 1 closed and charging fees that were never agreed upon. The suspension will affect flights to 26 destinations throughout Europe and could last through the Yomim Noraim in the fall. Wizz Air and Easyjet will continue to operate flights to Europe in place of Ryanair. Ryanair initially suspended flights to and from Israel due to the outbreak of war on October 7 and the risk of rocket attacks on Ben Gurion Airport from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. However, the airline resumed flights on February 1 as the threat of rocket attacks decreased with Hamas’ depleted rocket supply and damaged military capabilities. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

On Tuesday November 30, 2021 an emergency exercise was held at the Ben Gurion Airport. The drill, titled “Eagle” simulated the crash of passenger plane with 250 people onboard. The drill was a joint effort between the Israeli Airports Authority, Magen David Adom, Israel Police, Israel Fire and Rescue and other emergency organizations. The goals of the drill were to evaluate the emergency protocols and response, the collaboration between all participating organizations, including the Airport Authority, the Israeli Police, Israel Fire and Rescue, the IDF and the Home Front Command. The focus of the drill was on a rapid coordinated response including, rapid arrival to the scene, MDA employees and volunteers’ response to the crash site, managing the immediate medical care and evacuation, and more. The drill simulated the emergency alert message from the control tower, received at MDA’s National Command and Control Center for a passenger airliner malfunction with 250 passengers on board. What followed was the airplane crash at the airport runway upon landing. MDA medical teams provided medical treatment, assisting 250 simulated passengers. During the drill MDA teams took patients to the MDA helicopter that landed at the airport and airlifted them to the hospital, and simulated the triage and evacuation of tens of other simulated victims. MDA deployed 8 MICUs, 20 Ambulances, 5 MCRVs (Multiple Casualty Response Vehicle), 2 Paramedic Supervisor vehicles, Medi-Cycles, 2 Regional Command and Control Vehicles, the National Command and Control Truck and hundreds of MDA Paramedics & EMTs. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Ben-Gurion Airport is opening Israel’s skies on Thursday at midnight following the announcement of Health Minister Yuli Edelstein and Transportation Minister Miri Regev on Wednesday night that an agreement has been reached to resume allowing Israeli travelers to leave the country. The announcement was later confirmed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in a video statement made on Facebook. Since the current lockdown was imposed before Sukkos, the only passengers who were allowed to fly out of Israel were those who purchased tickets prior to the closure. With airlines threatening lawsuits against the government for damages incurred by the closure, Israel’s Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit stated that the closure of the airport is legally problematic. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Eight months after he succeeded in fleeing Israel, while he was on leave from the Eitanim Psychiatric Hospital, Nachman Anshin, the Chareidi man from Meah Shearim who was convicted of killing his own 10-month-old daughter, Fruma Anshin A”H, a decade ago, was caught in Ben Gurion Airport when he returned to Israel. During the trial, in spite of the damning indictment against him, the Jerusalem Magisterial Court accepted the opinion of the psychiatrist who claimed that he was not responsible for his actions during the time of the murder due to insanity. Due to this decision, Anshin was sent to forced hospitalization at Eitanim Hospital located just outside of the capital. He managed to escape and flee the country, but was arrested upon his return. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Ben Gurion Airport is reportedly closing operations in half of its international terminals and reducing manpower by 79% following Israel’s announcement on Monday night that all travelers arriving in Israel will now be required to self-quarantine for two weeks. Scores of flights have been canceled in the wake of the announcement and two of the five check-in areas in Terminal 3 are being closed, Ben-Gurion announced on Tuesday. Israel Airports Authority (IAA) workers union stated it was operating on “Yom Kippur mode” with reports saying that only 30% of airport employees are reporting to work. All temporary employees have been put on leave without pay and other employees have been put on annual leave. Israel’s Airport Authority is also closing Ramon Airport in Eilat at night, a Channel 12 News report said on Tuesday. Quiet and NO lines at Ben Gurion #Airport! The #coronavirus is impacting #Israel, last night @IsraeliPM @netanyahu said that #anybody coming in to #Israel internationally would have to a 14 day #quarantine! @CBNNews @ChrisCBNNews #קורונה #Covid_19 #holyland #vacation pic.twitter.com/VOQAEHvTbd — Jerusalem Dateline (@JlemDateline) March 10, 2020 The head of the IAA workers union, Pinchas Idan, told Channel 12 that there will be widespread layoffs at Ben-Gurion before Pesach. “I have no words. I’ve worked for the authority for over 40 years…We’ve never experienced something like, not during the Gulf War or the first and second intifadas. There’s never been anything like this.” Arkia and Israir Airlines also announced on Monday that they are ending their international flights for the time being. The airlines will continue with internal flights to Eilat from Ben-Gurion and Haifa. El Al, Israel’s national airline, stated that it will continue to run reduced international flights following Netanyahu’s announcement on Monday night, saving Israel from complete isolation. On Sunday, El Al reported an expected revenue decline of $140-160 million for the months of January to April 2020. The airline is requesting a loan of $700 million from the Israeli government to ensure its continued existence, according to a Ynet report on Tuesday. The amount is based on El Al’s calculations for a scenario of being almost completely out of operation for the next three months. According to the Finance Ministry’s demand, the financial assistance will be provided as a loan rather than compensation and El Al will be required to provide collateral for repayment, an extremely difficult position for the company, which was amidst a process of taking out loans for a $1.6 million fleet of new airplanes when the coronavirus crisis hit and was reportedly already in a state of declining revenue due to competition from low-cost airlines at Ben-Gurion. The Population and Immigration Authority reported that 12,246 foreigners have voluntarily left Israel since Monday night’s announcement. Also on Tuesday, Israel Railways announced that passengers arriving at Ben-Gurion will no longer be permitted to use the train station at the airport. The station will still be open for airport employees and Israeli citizens traveling within Israel who will be required to show their plane tickets to railway employees. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

A Korean Air flight attendant who worked on flights out of Los Angeles International Airport was diagnosed Wednesday in South Korea with coronavirus. The flight attendant worked flights between LAX and Seoul, South Korea, on Feb. 19 and 20, according to several South Korean media outlets. The woman had also serviced a flight from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Seoul on Feb. 15, South Korea’s Center for Disease Control said. A church group was on the flight and at least 30 members of the group were diagnosed with coronavirus, South Korean authorities said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A private jet carrying seven people was forced to make an emergency landing at Ben Gurion Airport on Monday afternoon. According to reports, the plane had a tire problem. Emergency crews lined the tarmac as the plane touched down. All occupants are fine, and crews are inspecting the aircraft. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)