Flight freeze: Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, Virgin Atlantic end service to Israel

Turkish Airlines and Pegasus, together with the British airline Virgin Atlantic, have announced the cessation of their operations at Ben Gurion Airport, and are not expected to resume direct flights to Israel.

During the war, Turkish Airlines wanted to keep their "slots" at Ben Gurion Airport, but now it and Pegasus have announced that they do not plan to use them. Slots, or time windows allocated for flights at departures and landings, were a central part of coordinating flights and maintaining the airlines' operations at the airport, and will now be transferred to other airlines.

Although in recent months there has been a possibility of Turkish Airlines returning to operations at Ben Gurion Airport, this step by the Turkish airlines is not surprising in light of the political and economic situation, and it could change the picture of the aviation market at Ben Gurion Airport.

Yoni Waxman, Deputy Chairman of Ophir Tours, commented on the move, saying: "The waiver of Turkish airlines on their 'slots' at Ben Gurion Airport may indicate a significant change in Israel-Turkey relations. Or at least about a decline in air coordination between the countries. Slots are time windows that are allocated to an airline for take-off and landing at a specific time. They are very important to airlines, as they are a way to manage order and coordination at the airport."

Virgin Atlantic's decision to end its operations between London and Tel Aviv is also a significant milestone, especially due to the fact that its Israeli CEO, Shai Weiss, recently announced a new route to Saudi Arabia. As mentioned, the company announced that it will not resume operating the direct flight route from London's Heathrow Airport to Tel Aviv, thus ending its direct operations in Israel.

"Although we will not continue to operate independent flights on this route, we are committed to continuing to serve our customers on flights through our codeshare partnership with El Al," says a spokesperson for the company. This partnership will allow for a connection between the two countries, but not direct flights by Virgin Atlantic.