People wait in departing section at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s only international airport, after many flights from abroad are cancelled due to the attacks launched by Palestinian factions in Tel Aviv.(Photo:VCG)
Chinese airlines and travel agencies are cancelling flights and trips to Israel amid the escalated conflict there which flared up over the weekend.
China’s Hainan Airlines, the only carrier in China with flights to Israel, told the Global Times that it has canceled flight between Shanghai and Tel Aviv, Israel, on Monday due to the ongoing high tensions there, and will adjust flight arrangements in line with security conditions on the ground.
The airline has three direct flights between China and the country, which depart from Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, operating two flights each week on each route.
Information shared by the information provider VariFlight showed that the flight from Shenzhen to Tel Aviv on Tuesday was cancelled.
The move came after the escalated conflict there, as Israel’s cabinet declared a “state of war” on Sunday on Hamas, in which at least 700 in Israel died while retaliatory Israeli airstrikes killed at least 413 in Gaza, reported Xinhua News Agency.
Chinese travel agencies interviewed by the Global Times said that they have no travel groups in Israel at the current stage, and have moved to temporarily cancel future trips.
“We have quickly screened all orders after the conflict, and as of now, our company has no tourists stranded in Israel,” Tongcheng Travel told the Global Times on Monday morning.
For travel groups planning to travel to Israel in October and November, the company has communicated with the tourists and has processed full refunds without loss. In addition, business work related to tourism in Israel has been temporarily suspended, the agency added.
GZL International Travel Service told the Global Times that it decided to cancel all travel groups to Israel in October. It has two travel groups to the country in September, but both have since returned to China.
Chinese travel agency Spring Tour also confirmed with Global Times that the company has canceled a 28-member tour to Israel that was scheduled to depart on Monday, given the current tensions there, and the following tour groups will be followed up in keeping to the notification from relevant departments and the actual situation on the ground.
China has expressed deep concern over the current escalation of tensions and violence between Palestine and Israel, and calls on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint, and immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians and avoid further deterioration of the situation, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.