Flights to Israel will land at Eilat Ramon Airport, the second largest airport in Israel, and not at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. At Eilat Ramon Airport, passengers will check passports, take their luggage and take a quick test for Covid-19. They will then be transferred by bus to Tel Aviv, if they choose this option.
Israel diverted all flights from Tel Aviv to Eilat.
Flights taking off from Tel Aviv will be operated from Ben Gurion Airport as planned. For now, only two flights operated by El Al (LY026 and LY004) New York JFK -Tel Aviv and New York Newark - Tel Aviv will land at Ben Gurion Airport.
The decision comes after escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinians. Flights to / from Tel Aviv have been stopped due to the rocket attack on and around Tel Aviv. As Israel is stormed by hundreds of missiles fired from the Gaza Strip, air traffic to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport is diverted to Greece and Cyprus or nearby cities.
Meanwhile, US airlines have begun canceling flights to Israel due to missile attacks.
United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Airlines have begun canceling flights to Tel Aviv, it reported on Wednesday The New York Times.
Israeli national carrier El Al said on Wednesday it was continuing flights as scheduled, but would allow passengers to change tickets canceled before May 19 or cancel them without paying a related fee. He also said it will allow passengers to use the free WhatsApp messaging service on flights that have Wi-Fi so they can stay in touch with their families.