JERUSALEM, Israel – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has suggested that the State Department has inappropriately influenced American-based airlines to suspend flights to Israel indefinitely.
The Texas Republican told The Jewish Insider in a statement last week, “The Biden-Harris administration was lax in pursuing why some airlines will not fly to Israel.” He added, “Indeed, they may have been worse than lax, and the State Department may have become inappropriately entangled in deliberations over safety and subverted the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).”
The on-and-off policy of carriers such as American, United, and Delta concerning flights to Israel has plagued Israel-based frequent flyers and U.S. residents who have business and personal reasons for traveling to and from the Jewish state since the Hamas attack on October 7th, 2023.
As of September, all three U.S. carriers have suspended flights through at least April 2025, and United has not announced a date to resume service.
Cruz also alleged in his statement, “There have been allegations about antisemitic discrimination by airlines and that calls by unions not to fly to Israel were motivated solely by pro-Hamas activists. These allegations are troubling and, of course, American law prohibits American companies from participating in politically motivated boycotts of Israel."
Unions representing both pilots and flight attendants have cited security concerns as reasons to avoid Israel, and major European carriers such as the Lufthansa Group (including Swiss, Brussels Air, Austrian Air, and Eurowings) have also suspended flights.
The head of Israeli's Civil Aviation Authority, Shmuel Zakai, has said flights in and out of Israel's Ben Gurion Airport are "absolutely safe," and Israeli officials point out that when Iran unleashed its missile barrages or a serious threat was detected, Ben Gurion shut down for short periods.
After April's attack from Tehran, Zakai noted, “When we think that the airspace is not safe for flights, we close it. That earned us a lot of credit internationally.”
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According to the website Passportcard, the Greek carrier Aegean (a Star Alliance partner with United) resumed flights last week. The budget airline Wizzair plans to restart partial service this month, and LOT Polish Airways (another Star Alliance partner) says it will end its suspension on December 22.
The mass suspensions left Israel's El Al as the only major airline available for direct flights between the U.S. and Tel Aviv, making it difficult to book flights to and from the U.S., especially on short notice.
The U.S. carriers and the State Department could face further scrutiny in 2025 since Cruz is slated to chair the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in the new Congress.
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