low-cost carrier Rainier cancels all flights to and from Israel in August

The Irish low-cost carrier Rainier cancels all flights to and from Israel during August. At this stage, the company has not yet issued an official announcement, but its flights have been deleted from the flight schedule and it is not known when they will be resumed. Only in May did Rainier announce that it would resume 40% of its flights on July 1 - including flights to Tel Aviv, Budapest, Vienna and Warsaw - under Corona restrictions that include inspections, hygiene and social alienation.
"A few days ago, Rainier canceled hundreds of flights from Ben Gurion Airport scheduled for August," says Yaniv Lenis, founder of the Facebook group Secret Flights, which has about half a million members. "Since it is not yet known when Israel will allow tourists to enter, and in the meantime there is also a 14-day isolation obligation for Israelis returning from abroad, the cancellation of flights is a necessary step, but in light of its announcements of resumption of operations on July 1."
"Rainier is constantly making adjustments to its schedule, also for September and October, and it is recommended to be updated on the booking management screen on the airline's website." According to him, Rainier allows full refund or replacement to another destination date within 90 days from the original flight date, at no extra charge.
The cancellation of flights comes against the background of uncertainty regarding the future of the aviation industry in Israel. Last week, the Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Itamar Grotto, announced that representatives of the Ministry of Health would meet with representatives of the National Security Council to formulate an outline for opening the sky, but since then no updates or outline have been issued.
Grotto explained that the outline discussed includes a solution whereby Israelis can fly to green countries, where the morbidity level is low, without the need for corona tests - and return from there without the need for isolation (currently, anyone returning from abroad is required 14 days of isolation). Grotto explained that the outline also includes a pilot in which it will also be possible to fly to red countries, subject to Corona tests.
In June, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the deadline for the opening of Israeli skies to Greece and Cyprus would be August 1. At the beginning of July, the European Union decided not to include Israel in the list of countries from which accession is allowed. This is because the morbidity trend in Israel is 2.5 times higher than the threshold set by the union.