Hebrew Site “MAKO”: Aerial Isolation Intensifies After Ben Gurion Airport Strike… Major Airlines Continue Boycotting “Israel”

YEMEN EXTRA

Major international airlines have continued to boycott flights to “Israel” following the ballistic missile strike launched by the Yemeni Armed Forces on Ben Gurion Airport—a high-profile military operation that exposed the fragility of the occupation’s security, despite all its claims to the contrary.

According to a report published by the Israeli website “MAKO,” leading foreign airlines have decided to extend the suspension of their flights to “Israel” for varying periods, with some lasting several months. This indicates a serious decline in global confidence in the safety of Israeli airspace.

The list of airlines that have suspended their flights includes:

– Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss, and Brussels Airlines) until June 15.
– ITA Airways (Italy) until June 15.
– Air France until May 26.
– KLM until June 1 (return not yet confirmed).
– Iberia (Spain) until June 1.
– LOT Polish Airlines until June 2.
– airBaltic until June 2.
– Ryanair until June 11.
– Air India until June 18.
– easyJet until June 30.
– British Airways until the end of July.
– Air Canada until September.

This lengthy list of flight suspensions reveals a profound crisis facing the Israeli occupation—not only on the security and military fronts, but also in terms of its economic and tourism reputation on the global stage.

Dr. Eran Keter, Head of the Tourism and Hotel Management Department at Kinneret College, noted that the recent Yemeni missile attack “shattered the security narrative that ‘Israel’ and its Ministry of Tourism had been promoting for an entire year.” He emphasized that Ben Gurion Airport is no longer viewed as a “sterile and safe” zone, despite the occupation’s boasting of multi-layered interception systems.

Keter stressed that these developments “make the prospects of incoming tourism to Israel this year nearly nonexistent,” adding that the continued aggression in Gaza and the expansion of confrontations in regional arenas such as Yemen and Syria “sends a clear message to the world: ‘Israel’ is not a safe destination.”

He further explained that the flight cancellations are not solely due to security concerns. They also stem from aircraft crews refusing to land in “Israel,” hesitations from insurance companies, and weak demand from passengers who now perceive Israel as a high-risk conflict zone rather than a safe tourist destination.

Despite attempts by Israeli officials to downplay the effects of this isolation—such as Yoni Waxman, Vice Chairman of Ofer Tours, who claimed that “Ben Gurion Airport has strict security measures”—these statements have failed to reassure the airlines, which rely on real security data and political indicators that cannot be manipulated through media rhetoric.

Source: MAKO