JERUSALEM (JTA) — El Al Airlines will no longer fly to Eilat because of safety concerns over new flight paths.
The airline said Tuesday that it was canceling its night flights to Eilat. Two months ago, El Al said it was halting its daytime flights to the southern resort city.
The decision on the night flights will go into effect in two weeks, when the routes changed for daytime hours will go into effect for nighttime hours as well.
“The Civil Aviation Authority announced that it is changing the route of night flights as of Nov. 18 to a route which El Al has already announced does not adhere to accepted safety standards for day flights, and even more so for night flights,” El Al said in a statement Tuesday.
The new landing and takeoff patterns for Eilat reportedly were designed to reduce the chances of a terrorist attack from Egypt. El Al has said the new traffic patterns do not meet international aviation safety standards.
In August, Israeli authorities ordered the closure of Eilat’s airport based on a tip from Egyptian security services that a radical Muslim terrorist cell planned to launch midrange missiles at the airport.
In April, two long-range rockets fired from the Sinai Desert by an Islamist terrorist group hit Eilat.
Israir and Arkia airlines will continue to fly to Eilat from Ben Gurion Airport and Sde Dov Airport in Tel Aviv. The move by El Al likely will cause a rise in airfare to Eilat due to the lack of competition.
