El Al, Israel’s national airline, said yesterday that it expected to carry 3000 fewer tourists to Israel from the United States this summer season than it did during the same period last year. Amos Torin, deputy director general of El Al for the U.S. region, said at a press conference that the forecast was based on the economic recession in the U.S. and reports in the American news media of the security situation in Israel. He disclosed that El Al was forced to cancel 15 flights in the last two months owing to the drop in traffic.
According to Torin, the airline had in fact anticipated a growth of 6000 tourists this summer so that its total loss will amount to 9000 passengers. Meanwhile, El Al has instituted a new service for the convenience of its passengers from Jerusalem who may check their baggage there before proceeding to Ben Gurion Airport.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
