Updates from Israeli Airlines and Aviation News – Ongoing Updates Last Updated June 15, 2025, Sunday 21:00 Announcement from Israir: Following the closure of the airspace, Israir CEO Uri Sirkis estimates this evening: “The operation to return Israeli citizens abroad may begin towards the end of the week, or possibly only at the beginning of next week. The emerging outline will allow for two flights per hour only, throughout the day, subject to the security situation, and at this stage, entry to Israel will be permitted only, with no exit allowed. An outline is emerging where it will be possible to operate two flights per hour of narrow-body aircraft, or one flight per hour of a wide-body aircraft, throughout the day, provided it can be carried out subject to the security situation. However, this is only an optimistic condition, and the activation mechanism is not yet final. We are still learning about the enemy, the patterns to understand the ritual of threats, but if everything aligns, it will be possible to start towards the end of the week, or at the beginning of next week.” Sirkis adds that “the flights will be conducted only for returning Israelis and that Israelis will not be allowed to leave the country at this stage and that everything is subject to the decisions of the security system, and that the logistics of operating flights in such an airport situation require careful preparation, full coordination, and patience.” Israir sends a prayer for the safety of IDF soldiers and the safe return home of the hostages and wishes peace for all citizens. Oz Berlovich, CEO of ‘Arkia’, calls on the Prime Minister, the heads of the security system, and the Minister of Transport: intervene personally in the aviation crisis – about 200,000 Israelis are stranded abroad, including hundreds of doctors and medical teams, soldiers on emergency duty, patients, and parents of young children stuck abroad without a solution. Additionally, he warns that the emerging outline for opening the skies does not address the scale of the crisis. Tens of thousands of Israelis may be stuck abroad for long weeks. Update from El Al Sunday, June 15, 2025 19:10 Following developments in the security situation and according to the decision of the relevant security and transport authorities, El Al and Sun D’Or’s flight schedule is canceled until Thursday, June 19, 2025 (inclusive). Additionally, according to the guidelines, as of this date, no approval has been granted to operate rescue flights to and from Israel. El Al will continue to update its website and social media pages regularly as these decisions change. We understand the difficulty, uncertainty, and tension experienced by El Al customers abroad wishing to return to Israel, alongside customers whose plans have been disrupted. Once approvals are received from the relevant security and aviation authorities, we will do everything in our power to allow as many Israelis as possible to return home and gradually renew the regular flight schedule and operate rescue flights from destinations close to Israel. El Al’s service centers provide responses only for urgent cases. We are aware of the inconvenience caused by the uncertainty and thank you for your patience and understanding. Regular updates are published on the company’s social media pages and the El Al website. El Al strengthens the hands of the security forces – including the company’s pilots, mechanics, and all our personnel mobilized to protect the State of Israel on all fronts.
Update from El Al Sunday, June 15, 2025 13:00 According to the decision of the security authorities, Israel’s airspace remains closed to civilian flights for takeoffs and landings. Accordingly, El Al and Sun D’Or’s entire flight schedule is canceled until Tuesday, June 17, 2025 (inclusive). Additionally, flights from Israel and to the following destinations are canceled until Monday, June 23, 2025 (inclusive): Berlin, Tbilisi, Barcelona, Batumi, Warsaw, Rhodes, Munich, Tivat, Lisbon, Tokyo, Krakow, Venice, Thessaloniki, Marseille, Crete (Heraklion), Kefalonia, Santorini, Chisinau, Belgrade, Tirana, Porto, Mykonos, Lefkada, and Moscow. We understand the difficulty, uncertainty, and tension experienced by El Al customers abroad wishing to return to Israel, alongside customers whose plans have been disrupted. Once approvals are received from the relevant security and aviation authorities, we will do everything in our power to allow as many Israelis as possible to return home and gradually renew the regular flight schedule and operate rescue flights from destinations close to Israel. We will update on the El Al website and social media pages when the option to book tickets for these flights becomes available (subject to approval for resuming operations). Registration for these rescue flights will be done via a dedicated link on the El Al website. Please note – the only way to reserve a spot on these flights is through registration on the El Al website only (registration will not be possible through telephone centers). El Al’s service centers provide responses only for urgent cases. We are aware of the inconvenience caused by the uncertainty and thank you for your patience and understanding. El Al will continue to update regularly on the website and the company’s social media pages. El Al strengthens the hands of the security forces – including the company’s pilots, mechanics, and all our personnel mobilized to protect the State of Israel on all fronts. Arkia Spokesperson: Update following the security situation June 15, 11:40 Following a situation assessment and in light of the continued guidelines from the security authorities, the closure of the skies, and the closure of Ben Gurion Airport to flights – ‘Arkia’ announces that all company flights until Tuesday, June 17, 2025 (inclusive) are canceled. ‘Arkia’ operates in full coordination with the aviation authorities and the Home Front Command and will continue to monitor security developments and state guidelines continuously. We will update our customers on any changes and ask passengers to show patience and resilience during this complex period. Credit Policy and Additional Updates: Passengers who booked their flight ticket by June 12, 2025, and whose flight is scheduled between June 15, 2025, and June 30, 2025, and wish to postpone their flight date – will receive a future credit voucher valid for two years. Passengers who booked vacation packages including flights and hotel – will receive a future credit voucher for the flight component only. Cancellation fees may apply to the hotel component unless otherwise agreed with the hotel. *Emergency Customer Service: Arkia’s service center operates in emergency mode via WhatsApp chat only – at number 03-6903712 between 09:00–22:00 (Israel time). ‘Arkia’ salutes the IDF forces, the Home Front Command, security forces, and medical personnel – and operates with full commitment to ensuring passenger safety.🇮🇱 Update from Air Haifa following the closure of Israel’s airspace According to the guidelines of the security and aviation authorities, Israel’s airspace is closed for takeoffs and landings until further notice. As a result, we are forced at this stage to cancel all Air Haifa flights from Israel and to Israel until Monday, June 16 (inclusive). Passengers whose flights have been canceled will receive an automatic refund within 10 business days to the payment method used. No proactive contact with the company is necessary. The company’s flights will resume with the opening of Israel
