In the wake of the spate of flight cancellations decided by major foreign airlines, Israeli Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz announced Wednesday that Israel would be opening the Ovda Airport in the Negev as an alternative to Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport.
Ovda is the country’s second terminus for air traffic and lies north of Eilat.
Air travel to Israel from all American carriers and several European ones was suspended on Tuesday after the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) banned US airlines from traveling to and from Ben-Gurion Airport for 24 hours.
The decision followed the firing of a Hamas rocket into a house in Yehud, near Ben-Gurion Airport earlier in the day.
US aviation companies Delta and United Airlines said they were suspending flights to Israel “indefinitely,” while US Airways reportedly only suspended flights for the night.
Soon after the FAA decision, several European companies announced a suspension of their flights, including Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss, Brussels Airlines and Air France.
Israeli carriers El Al, Arkia and Israir continue to operate as normal in order to provide an answer for passengers on other carriers
El Al has boosted service to several destinations in order to help stranded Israelis returning home.
The airliner announced that it would send a jumbo jet to service passengers on Flight 347 to Zurich instead of the usual Boeing 737 model. El Al has also sent larger planes to Brussels and Bucharest while adding flights to Cyprus and Greece.
Should the suspension continue, it could have a significant impact on Israel’s economy.
Tourism accounts for about 5% of Israel’s exports and about 1.5%-2% of GDP.
Incoming tourism has already declined as a result of the rocket fire from Gaza, with organized groups canceling at a rate of about 30% for July and August.
Tourism Minister, Uzi Landau, declared Wednesday : "The skies over Israel remain open thanks to the foreign airlines who continue their scheduled flights into the country. We are in close contact with the Federation of Israeli Tourism Organizations in order to provide urgent solutions to people and businesses in the tourism industry. I have instructed ministry personnel to ensure that every tourist in Israel receives a response."
The Tourism Ministry has opened a 24 hour hotline to ensure that any tourist whose flight was canceled is not left without an accommodation solution.
Tourists who experience difficulties as a result of the current situation are invited to contact the offices at Ben Gurion airport, which is manned 24 hours a day: 03 9754260.
22 foreign airlines continue to fly into Israel as scheduled, including British Airways, Aeroflot and Ukrainian Airlines which operate several flights a day.
On Wednesday, 209 flights will operate at Ben Gurion airport, with 132,000 arrivals and departures (not including flights arriving in Ovda airport near Eilat from noon today).
Several foreign airlines which have suspended flights intend to recommence operations to Israel.