5 mar 2020
Lufthansa and subsidiaries Swiss, Austrian Airlines suspend Tel Aviv routes until March 28, after Israel bars entry of non-residents from five European nations
Airline giant Lufthansa said Thursday it was canceling all flights to Israel until March 28, after Jerusalem barred entry to almost all non-resident arrivals from five European nations, including Germany, over coronavirus fears.
“The Lufthansa group sees itself forced to make this cancellation for economic and operational reasons, as many passengers are no longer entitled to enter the country,” the group said in a statement.
Flights to Tel Aviv and Eilat by Lufthansa and its subsidiaries, Swiss and Austrian Airlines, will be canceled starting Sunday, March 8, until the end of the winter timetable on March 28.
Meanwhile, some flights will be halted on Friday and Saturday “as also flight crews are affected by these new restrictions.”
The Health Ministry on Wednesday barred entry to almost all non-residents arriving from France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland.
Earlier that day, it had already ordered citizens and residents arriving from the same countries to go into home quarantine.
The measures come on top of restrictions previously imposed on arrivals from mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Macau, South Korea, Japan and Italy.
Lufthansa has already announced that it will ground 150 planes, including 25 long-haul aircraft, and slash its flight plan by 25 percent over the impact of the virus.
On Thursday, it said that would entail canceling 7,100 European flights in March, including 3,750 via Germany’s biggest air hub Frankfurt and 3,350 via Munich.
Many of the cancellations will fall on high-frequency domestic services to cities like Berlin and Hamburg.
Meanwhile, “a second focus of the route cancellations” was Italy, with the affected cities including Milan, Venice and Rome.
Passengers are advised to check the Lufthansa website before departing for the airport, as “in addition to domestic German and Italian connections, other flights to Scandinavia, Great Britain, the Baltic States, Poland, Russia, France, Spain, Portugal, etc. are affected,” Lufthansa said.
Among long-haul services, Lufthansa has canceled all routes to virus hotspots, mainland China and Iran, until late April and reduced capacity on routes to Hong Kong and Seoul.
The group has also instituted a hiring freeze.
“It is not yet possible to estimate the impact on earnings” from the virus measures, Lufthansa said.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned Thursday the total revenue impact on the industry could be in the range of $63-$100 billion.
Airline giant Lufthansa said Thursday it was canceling all flights to Israel until March 28, after Jerusalem barred entry to almost all non-resident arrivals from five European nations, including Germany, over coronavirus fears.
“The Lufthansa group sees itself forced to make this cancellation for economic and operational reasons, as many passengers are no longer entitled to enter the country,” the group said in a statement.
Flights to Tel Aviv and Eilat by Lufthansa and its subsidiaries, Swiss and Austrian Airlines, will be canceled starting Sunday, March 8, until the end of the winter timetable on March 28.
Meanwhile, some flights will be halted on Friday and Saturday “as also flight crews are affected by these new restrictions.”
The Health Ministry on Wednesday barred entry to almost all non-residents arriving from France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland.
Earlier that day, it had already ordered citizens and residents arriving from the same countries to go into home quarantine.
The measures come on top of restrictions previously imposed on arrivals from mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Macau, South Korea, Japan and Italy.
Lufthansa has already announced that it will ground 150 planes, including 25 long-haul aircraft, and slash its flight plan by 25 percent over the impact of the virus.
On Thursday, it said that would entail canceling 7,100 European flights in March, including 3,750 via Germany’s biggest air hub Frankfurt and 3,350 via Munich.
Many of the cancellations will fall on high-frequency domestic services to cities like Berlin and Hamburg.
Meanwhile, “a second focus of the route cancellations” was Italy, with the affected cities including Milan, Venice and Rome.
Passengers are advised to check the Lufthansa website before departing for the airport, as “in addition to domestic German and Italian connections, other flights to Scandinavia, Great Britain, the Baltic States, Poland, Russia, France, Spain, Portugal, etc. are affected,” Lufthansa said.
Among long-haul services, Lufthansa has canceled all routes to virus hotspots, mainland China and Iran, until late April and reduced capacity on routes to Hong Kong and Seoul.
The group has also instituted a hiring freeze.
“It is not yet possible to estimate the impact on earnings” from the virus measures, Lufthansa said.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned Thursday the total revenue impact on the industry could be in the range of $63-$100 billion.
Israel's flag carrier says Health Ministry drastic measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 has effectively cut off foreign tourism the some of the most popular destinations among Israelis
El Al Airlines estimated on Thursday that the government's latest restrictions on travellers arriving from five European countries would further damage its results.
Israel on Wednesday ordered travellers arriving from Germany, France, Spain, Austria and Switzerland to return home into home quarantine over coronavirus concerns.
"At this stage the company cannot estimate the extent of this impact," Israel's flag carrier said in a regulatory filing.
The Israeli government measure effectively cut off foreign tourism from those countries, whose citizens, the Health Ministry said, would not be allowed into Israel unless they could show they had made quarantine arrangements ahead of time.
Israel has already imposed the edict with regard to flights from Italy, China, Thailand and Singapore.
El Al said on Wednesday before the latest restrictions were announced that it was laying off 1,000 of its 6,000 employees and cutting salaries of top management as it struggles to cope with the impact of the global coronavirus outbreak.
Last week, El Al warned of an expected loss in revenue of $50-$70 million in the January-April period due to coronavirus and it has suspended or cut back on many of its flights to Asia and Europe.
El Al Airlines estimated on Thursday that the government's latest restrictions on travellers arriving from five European countries would further damage its results.
Israel on Wednesday ordered travellers arriving from Germany, France, Spain, Austria and Switzerland to return home into home quarantine over coronavirus concerns.
"At this stage the company cannot estimate the extent of this impact," Israel's flag carrier said in a regulatory filing.
The Israeli government measure effectively cut off foreign tourism from those countries, whose citizens, the Health Ministry said, would not be allowed into Israel unless they could show they had made quarantine arrangements ahead of time.
Israel has already imposed the edict with regard to flights from Italy, China, Thailand and Singapore.
El Al said on Wednesday before the latest restrictions were announced that it was laying off 1,000 of its 6,000 employees and cutting salaries of top management as it struggles to cope with the impact of the global coronavirus outbreak.
Last week, El Al warned of an expected loss in revenue of $50-$70 million in the January-April period due to coronavirus and it has suspended or cut back on many of its flights to Asia and Europe.
27 feb 2020
Many Israeli nationals returning from abroad, who were ordered to self-quarantine upon arrival, say they're amazed there was no one at Ben Gurion Airport to either examine them or transport them home to avoid exposure to general public
Israelis who arrived back to the country from Italy on Thursday were surprised to find out there was no medical officials at the airport eager to examine them or transport them home for the mandated two-week quarantine due to spread of coronavirus.
Many are left with no option but to take public transport and risk exposing general public to a virus they might potentially be carrying.
Earlier in the day, the Health Ministry confirmed an Israeli national who had returned from Italy on Sunday tested positive for the coronavirus. Italy is now among the countries severely affected by the health crisis, with 15 confirmed fatalities and over 600 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus. On Wednesday the Health Ministry issued a travel warning to the country that now effectively joins a host of Far East state with travel advisory.
"We are shocked no one tested us when we arrived," said Eden, 22, from northern Israel who returned from a trip to Venice with her mother and sister.
"The fact that employees [at Ben Gurion Airport] are not wearing masks is surprising. We walked all around Italy with masks, refrained from any crowded areas and are now heading to quarantine at home."
Ilana Mizel, who returned from Milan and was on her way to Kiryat Haim in northern Israel, called “stupid” the Health Ministry’s directive to self-quarantine.
"I think it's rather stupid to send me to a home quarantine after I stood in a packed terminal, with no one checking me,” she said.
“What if I have to take the train to get home?"
Daniela, 28, an architecture student from the Veneto region in northern Italy, decided to return to Israel because of the virus outbreak in the European country. "The authorities canceled all our classes, so I decided to return home," she said. "Even though it saddens me, I need to stay in quarantine and not meet up with my family for a long time," she added.
"And then they say that we need to be responsible," she said, referring to the oversight at Ben Gurion Airport.
Popular Israeli TV host Guy Pines, who took a flight to Europe on Thursday morning, tried to bring down the level of hysteria surrounding the new virus.
"I'm heading to a destination that isn't considered 'contaminated,' or else I would have not traveled, I keep an eye on these sorts of things. I'm not panicking, and I don't think other people should either," he said.
"I don't even think the masks really work," he added. "I think it's more to feel like something is being done, but that's not what's going to save us from this new virus."
Pines then implied the media is responsible for creating a panic over the spread of the illness, which he believes is not as dangerous as the news makes it put to be. "I don't think humanity is in danger ... we've gone a bit overboard on this," he said.
Earlier Thursday, Population and Immigration Authority inspectors at the Ramon Airport in southern Israel refused to let 25 passengers, arriving on a Ryanair flight from Bergamo, Italy, to enter the country. Nineteen of them are Italian citizens and the rest are of various other nationalities.
Israeli passengers departed the plane and were instructed by the Health Ministry to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Israeli flag carrier El Al said earlier it has ordered the immediate suspension of all flights to and from Italy, with travel to Thailand set to also be halted next week until March 27, due spread of the virus.
"In light of the health and interior ministries directive, the company is forced to announce the suspension of operations in Milan, Venice, Rome and Naples,” said the airlines in a statement. “Operations in Thailand will be halted starting Monday until March 27, with the last flight to Bangkok departing on Sunday and the last flight to Israel departing on Tuesday.”
Israelis who arrived back to the country from Italy on Thursday were surprised to find out there was no medical officials at the airport eager to examine them or transport them home for the mandated two-week quarantine due to spread of coronavirus.
Many are left with no option but to take public transport and risk exposing general public to a virus they might potentially be carrying.
Earlier in the day, the Health Ministry confirmed an Israeli national who had returned from Italy on Sunday tested positive for the coronavirus. Italy is now among the countries severely affected by the health crisis, with 15 confirmed fatalities and over 600 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus. On Wednesday the Health Ministry issued a travel warning to the country that now effectively joins a host of Far East state with travel advisory.
"We are shocked no one tested us when we arrived," said Eden, 22, from northern Israel who returned from a trip to Venice with her mother and sister.
"The fact that employees [at Ben Gurion Airport] are not wearing masks is surprising. We walked all around Italy with masks, refrained from any crowded areas and are now heading to quarantine at home."
Ilana Mizel, who returned from Milan and was on her way to Kiryat Haim in northern Israel, called “stupid” the Health Ministry’s directive to self-quarantine.
"I think it's rather stupid to send me to a home quarantine after I stood in a packed terminal, with no one checking me,” she said.
“What if I have to take the train to get home?"
Daniela, 28, an architecture student from the Veneto region in northern Italy, decided to return to Israel because of the virus outbreak in the European country. "The authorities canceled all our classes, so I decided to return home," she said. "Even though it saddens me, I need to stay in quarantine and not meet up with my family for a long time," she added.
"And then they say that we need to be responsible," she said, referring to the oversight at Ben Gurion Airport.
Popular Israeli TV host Guy Pines, who took a flight to Europe on Thursday morning, tried to bring down the level of hysteria surrounding the new virus.
"I'm heading to a destination that isn't considered 'contaminated,' or else I would have not traveled, I keep an eye on these sorts of things. I'm not panicking, and I don't think other people should either," he said.
"I don't even think the masks really work," he added. "I think it's more to feel like something is being done, but that's not what's going to save us from this new virus."
Pines then implied the media is responsible for creating a panic over the spread of the illness, which he believes is not as dangerous as the news makes it put to be. "I don't think humanity is in danger ... we've gone a bit overboard on this," he said.
Earlier Thursday, Population and Immigration Authority inspectors at the Ramon Airport in southern Israel refused to let 25 passengers, arriving on a Ryanair flight from Bergamo, Italy, to enter the country. Nineteen of them are Italian citizens and the rest are of various other nationalities.
Israeli passengers departed the plane and were instructed by the Health Ministry to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Israeli flag carrier El Al said earlier it has ordered the immediate suspension of all flights to and from Italy, with travel to Thailand set to also be halted next week until March 27, due spread of the virus.
"In light of the health and interior ministries directive, the company is forced to announce the suspension of operations in Milan, Venice, Rome and Naples,” said the airlines in a statement. “Operations in Thailand will be halted starting Monday until March 27, with the last flight to Bangkok departing on Sunday and the last flight to Israel departing on Tuesday.”
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