The first Israeli flight to Greece since a bilateral travel agreement came into effect took off from Ben-Gurion Airport on Monday morning - without 15 of its Israeli passengers whose coronavirus tests were deemed unsatisfactory.
Aegean Airlines Flight A3929 took off with approximately 100 passengers bound for the Greek capital Athens, one of four destinations in Greece that Israelis are now allowed to visit without undergoing two-week quarantine.
Under the terms of the agreement, no more than 600 Israeli visitors will be admitted to Athens, Corfu, Crete and Thessaloniki at one time, provided they have a document showing that they tested negative for coronavirus no more than 72 hours before takeoff.
The 15 Israeli passengers were prohibited from boarding the Airbus A320 after they presented outdated coronavirus test results, provided results written in Hebrew or failed to properly complete the online Passenger Locator Form for travelers to the country provided by the Greek government.
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A staff member checks temperatures at the entrance to Ben-Gurion Airport
(Photo: Yariv Katz)
According to Debbie Spiegel, commercial director of Aegean Airlines in Israel, the confusion among passengers is due to the fact that both Greece and Israel have been changing their guidelines regarding the pandemic every few days.
"We took into account that such cases may occur," said Spiegel.
"Corners cannot be cut and instructions must be followed precisely. If the coronavirus test has to be completed within 72 hours of takeoff, we cannot board anyone who presents results of a test conducted a week ago."
The flight also carried European Union passport holders who while required to be tested for coronavirus before departing from Israel do not have to have another test upon arriving in Greece.
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A traveler walks through a near-deserted Ben-Gurion Airport during the coronavirus pandemic
(Photo: AFP)
Israel, whose economy relies heavy on foreign tourism, has been keen to restart international travel that was throttled by the coronavirus pandemic.
Israeli airline Israir also planned to resume Greece flights on Tuesday, but was forced to postpone by 24 hours as passengers had not had time to undergo the required coronavirus tests.
On Wednesday, the Israeli company will send a flight to Thessaloniki as part of the agreement with Greece as well as flights to Zagreb and Dubrovnik in Croatia.
On Thursday, Israir will operate a flight to the Bulgarian city of Varna and on Friday, it will fly to Athens and Varna.
The company intends to operate two weekly flights to Croatia, two or three weekly flights to Greece and a daily flight to Varna.