Rome-TLV flights to restart in July

Italian flag carrier Alitalia will return to Tel Aviv next month as it renews operations to more than a dozen domestic and international airports.

The struggling airline, which is currently in the process of being nationalized by the Italian government, will operate 10 flights per week between Rome Fiumicino and Ben-Gurion Airport from July 1.

All passenger flights will be operated with reduced aircraft capacity to ensure social distancing on board. Air on board is “99.7% pure, just like in a sterile medical room,” due to HEPA filters and vertical circulation, the airline said.

Alitalia said it will also resume and increase flights from Rome Fiumicino to a series of other destinations often traveled by Israeli passengers in transit via Italy, including Boston, London and Paris.

Foreign nationals have been banned from entering Israel since March 18, even if they can prove their ability to remain in home isolation for 14 days upon arrival.

While the ban on foreign nationals remains open-ended, other than cases deemed exceptional by the Foreign Ministry, Ben-Gurion Airport informed international airlines last week that the prohibition had been extended from June 15 to July 1.

Also last week, United Airlines announced that it would renew flights between San Francisco and Tel Aviv on July 10. The route between San Francisco International Airport and Ben-Gurion Airport will return to its regular schedule of three flights a week.

Despite the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on entry, United Airlines was one of the few airlines who continued flights to Ben-Gurion Airport, operating a daily route to Newark Liberty International Airport.

According to data published by Ben-Gurion Airport, just 2,300 foreign visitors arrived in Israel during the entire month of May, reflecting the impact of strict government restrictions on Israel’s aviation sector amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the data published by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), visitors are defined as individuals entering the country with either a tourism visa or a temporary residence visa, including students.

The figures represent a dramatic drop compared to previous years, with about 466,000 visitors arriving in May 2019 – including 440,000 tourists.

A similarly dramatic drop was also witnessed in the departure of Israelis abroad in May, with only 8,300 trips abroad recorded, compared to 656,000 in May 2019. Among those leaving the country, 600 trips were made by Israelis living permanently abroad.