The refusal by the top three US airlines to fly to Israel since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack has sent fares soaring for flights to Tel Aviv — and has essentially led to an economic boycott that benefits its sworn enemy Iran, critics charged.
Delta, United and American have upheld a nearly yearlong suspension of direct flights to Israel in the wake of the Hamas massacre, leaving national carrier El Al as the only airline offering non-stop service. Prices, however, have increased nearly threefold.
“The American carriers are playing into Iran’s game,” Eyal Hulata, who served as national security adviser to two Israeli prime ministers, told Bari Weiss’ online media outlet The Free Press.
Several European, African and Middle Eastern carriers have resumed service to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport despite ongoing Hamas rocket fire from the Gaza Strip as well as the specter of all-out war with Iran and Hezbollah.
The only way for US travelers to fly direct to Israel is to book an El Al flight, which costs around $2,500 for a round-trip ticket from New York to Tel Aviv.
Before Oct. 7, a flight aboard El Al cost around $900.
Despite the ongoing war with Hamas, the airlines that fly regularly into and out of Israel are the three carries from the United Arab Emirates — Etihad Airways, FlyDubai and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi.
The UAE had been technically at war with Israel until 2020, when it established diplomatic relations with Jerusalem as part of the Abraham Accords — the agreements that were brokered by the Trump administration.
“They should fly to Israel exactly like the Gulf countries and others do,” Hulata, currently a senior fellow at the pro-Israel think tank the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told The Free Press in reference to the three American carriers.
“And if they don’t do this because they are scared of rockets, then there’s something fundamentally wrong in their decision making.”
He added: “There hasn’t been a rocket anywhere close to the airport for months.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), an outspoken supporter of Israel, is urging the three airlines to resume flights to Israel.
Torres wrote a letter to the heads of all three airlines last month asking them to map out guidelines that they following in deciding to suspend flights to Israel. None of the companies have replied.
“In my view, unless there’s an objective process put in place to prevent the politicization of air travel, I predict that in the future the BDS movement will try to weaponize air travel as a new means of boycotting Israel,” Torres told The Free Press.
“And a travel ban has the potential to be the most potent weapon in BDS’s war against the Jewish state.”
BDS stands for boycott, divestment and sanctions — tactics that supporters of Palestinians have proposed as a means of pressuring Israel.
In public statements, the airlines have stated that the decision to suspend flights was made with security in mind.
“We look forward to resuming flights as soon as it’s safe for our customers and crew,” a United spokesperson told The Post on Monday.
An American Airlines spokesperson referred The Post to Airlines for America, the trade association and lobbying group which represents the interests of major North American carriers.
“The safety and security of all passengers and crewmembers is always the top priority of US carriers and is the foundation of all decisions,” an A4A spokesperson told The Post.
“The situation in Israel is rapidly evolving, and our carriers are continuously making individual assessments about operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports they receive.”
The Post has also sought comment Delta.
United and Delta briefly resumed flights to Tel Aviv in June, but then suspended them in August following the assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
Delta has said that its flights will remain suspended through Oct. 31 while American is targeting a March 2025 date for potential resumption of its route.
The State Department has a travel advisory in effect which warns Americans not to travel to Gaza and northern Israel.
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