A Wizz Air flight takes off from Ben Gurion International Airport. Photo by Moshe Shai/FLASH90
The low-cost Hungarian airline company Wizz Air will resume flights between Israel and mainly 10 European destinations beginning Jan. 15, the Israeli business daily Globes reported on Tuesday. The airline company will reportedly offer flights between Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv to Rome, London, Milan, Vienna, Krakow, Bucharest, and Athens but also the Middle Eastern hub Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Most foreign airline companies have canceled their Israel flights due to the ongoing war with the Iranian-backed terror proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
For years, Wizz Air has offered lower-cost flight alternatives for Israelis and foreign tourists traveling through Ben-Gurion Airport. However, in October, Wizz Air announced it would postpone all of its Israel flights until January due to geopolitical instability and security-related issues.
Wizz Air’s decision to resume some of its flights to and from Israel is likely linked to the current ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. However, many international airline companies have remained reluctant to resume flights due to the recent escalation of Houthi missile attacks against the Jewish state.
In recent weeks, the Iranian-backed Houthi terror group in Yemen has fired several missiles at central Israel, including at Ben-Gurion Airport. Most Houthi missiles have been successfully intercepted and those that impacted have caused limited damage. However, there is still considerable international concern about the security situation in Israel, with authorities stressing that Israel’s airspace is safe for international tourism.
In September, European authorities urged airline companies to avoid Israeli and Lebanese airspace due to “an overall intensification of air strikes and degradation in the security situation.”
Close to 100 Israeli hotels have been forced to close because of the sharp decline in international tourism amid the war.
In November, Sivan Detauker, CEO of the Israel Hotel Association, assessed that tourism in Israel was deteriorating due to the volatile security situation.
“Approximately 90 hotels have been closed since the war began, accounting for 20% of the industry, and the situation is worsening,” Detauker stated.
While the Holy Land is struggling to relaunch international tourism, Israeli authorities announced that beginning Jan. 15, foreign visitors need to apply for an electronic travel permit to enter the Jewish state. The permit, called an ETA-IL (Electronic Travel Authorization), will cost 25 NIS (about $7) per visitor.
The purpose of the new measure is reportedly to optimize security for flights bound for Ben-Gurion Airport. However, it also adds a hurdle for tourists who wish to visit the Holy Land. The ETA-IL permit can be obtained through the website of Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority.
Meanwhile, Israel’s flagship airline company El Al, which has continued flying to and from Israel during the course of the war, recently announced it would postpone all flights to the Russian capital Moscow after Russia reportedly downed an Azeri passenger jet on Christmas Day, killing 38 people.