Israir and Arkia cancel their international operations and will focus now on Eilat

A tough evening in Israeli aviation. The decision they feared came about: the closure of Israeli borders with the announcement of the isolation obligation to landers in Israel from all destinations in the world.
Israir has announced it canceles it's international operations. The company said that following the announcement of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Health, the company will work until the weekend to bring back all its passengers staying in the sand. The company will then cancel its scheduled international flights by the end of March. Flights inland from Haifa and Ben Gurion Airport to Ramon will continue.
El Al is also expected to announce that it will dramatically reduce its flight schedule later this evening. It is already partially running. The company intends to maintain the air connection to Israel but in a limited format. A senior official at Eli clarified "that flights will not be closed to all destinations and that the company is looking at how to maintain the air connection and which flights will continue to operate." El Al's management team convened for an emergency hearing.
The international companies, including those from the United States, are likely to halt their flights to Israel gradually, mainly because crews will have to enter the 14-day isolation. Hundreds of EL AL personnel have been in isolation since the last announcement of Western Europe, and all crews landing this evening from all destinations will join at least 260 EL AL personnel, half of them pilots.
The recommendation to stay abroad is to advance their return to Israel because the flight schedule will have few essential lines. What's more, EL AL is committed to bringing in air crews for isolation, with more than 250 staff members half of them flying already in isolation. Anyone holding a plane ticket can contact the company's service centers and change the time.
Oz Berlowitz, CEO of Arkia International, explained that all international activity was canceled at the beginning of the month, at which point it was discontinued throughout the month, including during Passover. The Berlowitz planes have been disinfected and purified and are taking off from Terminal 1, which has undergone disinfection as well.
Flights will be sold at a price starting at NIS 159 in the direction. Arkia will offer flight and two-night packages for a couple of NIS 1,000 to NIS 1,200 midweek and NIS 1,100 to NIS 1,500 over the weekend.
Eilat, meanwhile, provides the horizon for hoteliers, even though the city, which mainly enjoys Israeli vacationers, already feels cancellations in light of Israelis' fear of the spread of the virus. Prices in Eilat are now cheaper than the familiar level this holiday season. "I believe there will be orders. Already today's hot weather has boosted sales.

Arkia's chairman, who told about the company's international lines, is still in line with the announcement this evening. At the same time, 180 Arkia employees were expelled to the PA. The Corona crisis has caught the airline at a time when it is trying to get out of the difficulties it has recently encountered. Arkia has 550 employees who hold 30% of the company's shares.
Arkia Chairman Avi Hurmero explained: "In the current situation, the company will continue to spend more employees on forced leave, and if necessary, all employees will also go on vacation without pay. Management has been working for days and nights to see how the company will continue to exist and pass the crisis safely. The state must help all Israeli airlines, because as this crisis deepens - there will not be a single Israeli airline in the state. We are taking all steps to try and mitigate the Corona crisis. The situation is very dangerous, because the effect is transversal to the economy as a whole, "Hurmero said.