Commercial flights to Israel will not resume until at least mid-July
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Commercial flights will not resume to Israel until mid-July at the earliest, according to the head of Ben Gurion Airport.
Shmuel Zakaim, the airport’s managing director, told the Israeli news website Ynet that even when the flights eventually restart, the number of departing planes will remain low for now.
“Social distancing regulations at airports won’t allow us to increase passenger capacity,” Zakai said. “If we’ll keep up at this pace, we’ll see a few dozen flights departing from Ben Gurion Airport starting mid-July and not earlier. As long as there is no vaccine for coronavirus and the disease keeps moving across countries there will be no significant change.”
The new regulations will require travelers to arrive four hours early for a flight, at which time they will receive a temperature check, wear face masks and remain social distanced in waiting areas. They will not be allowed to have any non-travelers accompany them.
The Jerusalem Post confirmed that senior Health Ministry officials visited the airport last week to review plans for reopening some commercial travel, though no concrete plans or dates were set.
The post Commercial flights will not resume to Israel until at least mid-July appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
