Israelis fear widespread flight cancellations amidst escalating security concerns with Iran, Israir CEO Uri Sirkis explained during an interview on Tuesday with 103FM.
The concern could stem from delays in removing the US aircraft parked at Ben-Gurion Airport, with Sirkis emphasizing that the shortage of parking spaces there and the ban on Israeli airlines flying to Dubai due to the risks of flying near Iran are both factors influencing this sentiment.
“The US aircraft do not currently pose a problem for us. We have been dealing with a shortage of parking spaces at Ben-Gurion Airport for many months. This is a direct result of the number of US tanker aircraft," Sirkis said at the beginning of the interview.
“What the transportation minister did was the right move, and it could have been done several weeks or months ago. Those tanker aircraft could have been allowed to come to Israel but park at Israeli Air Force bases rather than only at Ben-Gurion Airport. This would allow Israeli aviation to continue serving passengers," he added.
Sirkis then circled back to the shortage of parking spaces at the airport.
Sirkis addressed US aircraft, UAE flight cancellations
“We recently received two wide-body aircraft intended for long-haul flights to the US and the East. One aircraft is parked here, while the other is parked in Larnaca because of the shortage of parking spaces," he said.
Later in the interview, Sirkis addressed flights to the United Arab Emirates. “Since the attack in Iran, Israeli airlines have been prohibited from flying to Dubai. I think this was justified, because the route is close to the Iranian border."
"No one wants to test the alertness of the various systems or become caught up in unplanned incidents, such as a stray missile. That is why we were prohibited from flying there,” he added.
“We were informed that we are being asked to extend the flight ban until the end of October this year," he continued. "In addition, the European aviation safety authority joined the recommendation to remain vigilant and reduce or avoid flying in this airspace. We were supposed to resume flights in October, and we are waiting to see what happens. There is currently a specific point of tension, and we are familiar with it.”
Israir CEO also hopes to increase daily flights
Toward the end of the interview, Sirkis discussed the initiative to expand domestic air travel and increase the number of daily flights.
“We have argued for a long time that, in order to increase the number of daily flights, the relevant parties need to join forces," he said. "This effort will involve not only the airlines, but also the municipalities, the Transportation Ministry, and the Civil Aviation Authority. Fortunately, these things are happening, and a tender has been published requiring the winning airline to operate and fulfill a commitment of five flights a day at designated times.”