El Al, Israel's national airline, announced Thursday that it is canceling the launch of direct flights to Hanoi, Vietnam, which had been scheduled to begin in October. The decision follows a directive from Israeli security authorities operating under guidelines from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), which oversees aviation security for Israeli carriers. These officials informed the airline that they cannot grant the necessary approvals for operating the route with Israeli aircraft and crews.
The cancellation comes after El Al had already received preliminary approvals from relevant authorities, including security agencies, before publicly announcing the new destination. The airline had completed all operational and commercial preparations for the highly anticipated Southeast Asian route and invested significant resources in launching the service.
Only after these preparations were finalized did security officials inform the company that flights could not be approved in the planned format. Without the required security clearances, the airline said it had no choice but to cancel the route entirely.
In a statement, El Al said: "Due to the absence of approvals from Israeli security authorities guided by the Shin Bet, El Al is forced to cancel the opening of the route to Hanoi."
The airline explained: "The decision was made after Israeli security authorities, operating under Shin Bet guidelines and responsible for Israeli aviation security, announced they cannot grant the required approvals for operating the route with Israeli aircraft and crews. Before announcing the route, El Al operated as usual and received preliminary approvals from relevant authorities, including security officials. After the company completed operational and commercial preparations and invested substantial resources, security authorities informed us the flights could not be approved. Without the necessary security approvals to operate the route properly, there was no alternative but to cancel its launch."
Following the cancellation, El Al contacted passengers who had already purchased tickets for the new destination and offered them flexible compensation options.
The airline stated: "We apologize to passengers who purchased tickets and are offering a flexible change policy that includes several options: a flight to Hanoi via Bangkok with a connecting flight on a foreign carrier, at no additional cost; a change to another El Al destination on the same dates at no additional cost; a full refund or a credit voucher for future use."
The airline clarified that the actual flight cancellations will be implemented gradually according to scheduled departure dates, and customers who have already booked tickets will receive dedicated notifications starting next week.
