Israel’s national airlines, El Al, has been flying passengers to Istanbul for more than fifty years. Not any more. The Airline recently decided to discontinue flights from Israel to Turkey, as well as to the island of Cyprus, citing security reasons. A spokesman for El Al was quoted in the The Jerusalem Post as saying those routes “suffer from high security costs and other operational limitations.” The airline is also looking to drop flights to Cairo, Egypt, but hasn’t done so yet.

El Al Boeing 777

Turkey is seen as Israel’s strongest ally in the Muslim world. Israel’s Ambassador to Turkey fears this new move will strain diplomatic relations between the two nations.

“It’s a terrible decision,” said Israel’s ambassador in Ankara, Pinchas Avivi. “I’m afraid the Turkish government will look at this as a downgrading of the relations between the two countries.”

Turkey’s largest airport made international headlines last December when the staff of Turkish Airlines sacrificed a camel at the international airport in Istanbul. Animal sacrifices are not uncommon in Turkey. According to the BBC, this particular sacrifice offended officials because the airport workers did not ask permission. The camel sacrifice was intended “to mark the last delivery of 100 aircraft.” Turkish Airlines continues to run flights between Istanbul and Israel.

Share This Article