Israeli airline Arkia just pulled the rug out from under thousands of travelers. On Friday, the carrier announced that its long-haul flights to New York, Bangkok and Hanoi will now depart from Ben Gurion Airport, not Jordan’s Aqaba Airport as promised just days earlier. With wartime rules capping each outgoing flight at just 50 passengers, the sudden U-turn means mass ticket cancellations right before the Passover holiday.
Why Arkia Shifted Long-Haul Flights Back to Israel
Arkia announced Friday that its long-haul flights to New York, Bangkok and Hanoi will take off from Ben Gurion Airport instead of Jordan’s Aqaba Airport starting Sunday. The reversal came only days after the airline had told customers the opposite.
The announcement came a few days after the airline announced it would be transferring the vast majority of its outgoing flights from Israel to Aqaba and Egypt’s Taba airport due to the strict rules.
The move to Aqaba had been Arkia’s creative workaround to dodge Israel’s brutal passenger caps. Arkia had said that long-haul flights to destinations such as New York, Bangkok and Hanoi would be operated with full capacity from Aqaba airport, similar to the model operated at the beginning of the war. Now, that plan is dead for the airline’s most popular routes.
While Arkia’s long-haul flights across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans will depart from Israel, flights to nearby countries, among them Italy, Greece, France and Austria, will still take off from Egypt and Jordan.
The 50-Passenger Cap That Grounded Passover Travel
The root of the chaos sits squarely with the Transportation Ministry’s wartime restrictions at Ben Gurion Airport.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev stated that “in order to prevent possible harm to human life,” she decided to reduce the number of takeoffs and landings and the number of passengers at Ben Gurion Airport. Starting Monday at 5 p.m., one flight per hour with a departing plane carrying a maximum of 50 passengers would be operated, down from the previous 120.
Here is what the restrictions look like in practice:
| Restriction | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Passengers per outbound flight | 120 to 150 | 50 |
| Departures per hour | 2 | 1 |
| Arrivals per hour | 2 | 1 |
| Passenger cap on inbound flights | None | None |
Yaneev Lanis, founder of online booking site Secret Flights, said the new restrictions reduce air traffic by 75 percent or even 80% of the previous already limited activity.
The trigger for the crackdown was physical damage at Israel’s main gateway. On March 18, 2026, three private planes parked at Ben Gurion Airport suffered “severe” damage after being hit by debris from Iranian missiles that were intercepted by Israeli air defense systems.
How the Iran War Shut Down Israel’s Skies
Israel’s airspace has been shut to most commercial traffic since February 28, when Israel launched joint attacks with the US on the Iranian regime.
Earlier in March, Ben Gurion Airport gradually reopened for limited inbound and outbound flights, operated solely by Israeli airlines El Al, Arkia, Israir and Air Haifa, to repatriate over 100,000 stranded abroad. But every small step forward has been followed by a step back as missile threats persisted.
Foreign carriers are nowhere to be seen. US airline Delta extended the suspension of its Tel Aviv route through May 31, due to the “ongoing conflict in the region. Fellow US carrier United Airlines also appeared to push off its return to Israel until at least mid-June.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has also warned against flights in Israeli airspace. As a result, all foreign airline flights for March have been cancelled. Some foreign airlines postponed their return to Israel to April, at best, and many did not set a return date.
What Arkia Is Doing to Help Stranded Passengers
Arkia CEO Oz Berlovitz acknowledged the pain this decision is causing.
He said in a statement that the airline is “working around the clock to increase the frequency of flights and allow the Israeli public to leave and return to the country during the holiday period.” He added, “I would like to apologize personally to the thousands of customers who were forced to change or cancel their flights. This is a challenging period, and we are doing everything we can to find alternative solutions and to provide the best service to everyone.
One silver lining for those trying to get home: Planes departing from Israel will carry up to 50 people, but return flights will operate at full capacity, in accordance with the Transportation Ministry’s rules.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev requested that Arkia operate additional flights from Bangkok to Tel Aviv over the course of next week, including the start of Passover. These flights will be at full capacity.
For passengers with affected bookings, here is what you should do right now:
- Check your email and Arkia’s website for updated booking status.
- Contact Arkia’s service center immediately to explore rebooking or refund options.
- Priority will be given to Arkia customers whose flights were canceled, and they will be re-accommodated on the airline’s flights.
- Consider land crossings to Egypt’s Taba or Jordan’s Aqaba for short-haul European departures.
- Consider purchasing comprehensive travel insurance that covers airline schedule changes and operational disruptions.
What Comes Next for Israeli Air Travel
The bigger picture is grim. El Al said its capacity will fall to 5% of normal after Israel sharply restricted flights at Ben Gurion Airport amid security concerns tied to the Iran war.
El Al called on authorities to open Ramon Airport near the Red Sea city of Eilat as a complementary alternative to Ben Gurion to preserve some international air service. That request, made repeatedly over the past week, has so far gone unanswered.
Passover begins at sundown on April 1 and ends at nightfall on April 9. For hundreds of thousands of Israeli families who had planned trips abroad for the holiday, the window is rapidly closing. Travel experts warn that “we are in a day-to-day situation where travelers can’t make plans more than 24 to 72 hours ahead, depending on the security situation and operational changes.
The travel industry’s losses are staggering. Ticket prices for spring and summer have climbed by 15% to almost all destinations in just 10 days.11
As Iranian missiles continue to target Israeli cities and the US-Israel military campaign against Tehran grinds forward, the skies over Israel remain among the most restricted in the world. For the thousands of families whose Passover plans just went up in smoke, the frustration is deeply personal. A holiday meant for freedom and gathering now feels defined by walls, not open doors. If this story affects you or someone you know, drop your experience in the comments below and let your voice be heard.
