To stop the virus from spreading, the Israeli government has decided to tighten access conditions in Israel, for 14 days. Starting with Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 20:00 pm, the Israeli customs authorities will allow access to the country only to those persons who will prove that they can enter self-isolation at home for 14 days from the moment of entering Israel.
Self-isolation at home cannot be done in a hotel or guesthouse, but only in a private home. The measure applies to persons of any nationality / nationality.
EL AL suspends over 90% of flights
Unfortunately, this decision has led to the "collapse" of tourism in Israel. Airports and hotels are almost empty. The largest airline in Israel - EL AL, was also affected.
During the two weeks, EL AL announced that it will reduce operational activity by up to 2%. From March 90 until March 16, 28, EL AL will only fly to Johannesburg, London Heathrow, Newark, New York JFK, Paris CDG and Toronto.
Flights to European destinations will be gradually suspended until March 15, 2020, with the exception of flights to London and Paris. Between March 16-28, all weekly flights (10 in number) operated between Bucharest and Tel Aviv will be suspended.
List of EL flights, which will be suspended until March 28, 2020
Tel Aviv - Amsterdam 16MAR20 - 28MAR20 10 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Athens 09MAR20 - 28MAR20 5-6 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Barcelona 10MAR20 - 28MAR20 9-10 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Berlin Schoenefeld 16MAR20 - 28MAR20 9 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Boston 16MAR20 - 28MAR20 3 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Brussels 17MAR20 - 28MAR20 3 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Bucharest 16MAR20 - 28MAR20 10 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Budapest 16MAR20 - 28MAR20 10-11 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Frankfurt 16MAR20 - 28MAR20 8 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Geneva 10MAR20 - 28MAR20 4 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Krakow 09MAR20 - 28MAR20 2 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Kiev Borispil 16MAR20 - 28MAR20 7-8 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Larnaca 15MAR20 - 28MAR20 11 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Las Vegas 13MAR20 - 28MAR20 1 weekly flight - canceled
Tel Aviv - Los Angeles 22MAR20 - 28MAR20 3 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Madrid 10MAR20 - 28MAR20 9-10 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Manchester 11MAR20 - 28MAR20 1 weekly flight - canceled
Tel Aviv - Marseille 08MAR20 - 28MAR20 3 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Miami 22MAR20 - 28MAR20 4 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Milan Malpensa 28FEB20 - 28MAR20 7 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Moscow Domodedovo 17MAR20 - 28MAR20 6-7 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Mumbai 16MAR20 - 01APR20 2-3 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Munich 13MAR20 - 28MAR20 8 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Naples 28FEB20 - 28MAR20 3 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Prague 16MAR20 - 28MAR20 9-10 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Rome 28FEB20 - 28MAR20 7-11 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - San Francisco 17MAR20 - 28MAR20 2-3 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Sofia 14MAR20 - 28MAR20 5-6 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Tbilisi 12MAR20 - 28MAR20 2 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Venice 28FEB20 - 28MAR20 2-3 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Vienna 08MAR20 - 28MAR20 4-5 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Warsaw 11MAR20 - 28MAR20 4 weekly flights - canceled
Tel Aviv - Zagreb 10MAR20 - 28MAR20 1 weekly flight - canceled
Tel Aviv - Zurich 16MAR20 - 28MAR20 8 weekly flights - canceled
It is worth mentioning that there are several routes already suspended depending on the evolution of the pandemic with the new coronavirus in Europe.
Over 4000 employees will be on leave without pay
EL AL officials estimate a loss of between $ 140 million and $ 160 million over the entire period January-April 2020, double the estimates made 2 weeks ago.
Unfortunately, the cancellation of the flights comes with the package and with the dismissal of more than 4000 employees, the equivalent of 80% of the total AL EL employees.
The EL AL pilots' union said it would cooperate with the air carrier. Out of the total of 600 EL AL pilots, 60 have resigned, 420 have decided to leave without pay and only 120 pilots will provide the remaining flights. At the same time, the active pilots agree to reduce wages by 20%.
All these measures are meant to save the company from bankruptcy during this difficult period. Most airlines face canceled flights, low sales, reimbursement requests. Hopefully, the aeronautics industry will be able to recover quickly after the pandemic disappears.