Air Canada, the national airline of Canada, will restart flights to Israel on April 8, operating a route from Tel Aviv to Toronto. The airline had temporarily suspended flights to Israel due to the current conflict but has now officially begun the process of resuming service. The flights will be operated using Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.
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Neos, an Italian airline, has also announced that it will resume flights to Israel next month. They will offer regular flights to Milan, wet-lease flights for Arkia, and connecting flights to New York and Toronto via Italy.
Israeli-French cooperation
Israeli flag carrier El Al has signed a codeshare agreement with Air France, the national airline of France. This agreement allows El Al customers to fly to Paris on Air France flights. The codeshare agreement will be effective from March 31. The benefits of the frequent flyer club will only apply to flights from Ben Gurion Airport to Paris and not to connecting flights.
There is speculation that this new agreement, along with a recently signed codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines, may lead to El Al joining the SkyTeam airline alliance, which is the second-largest airline alliance in the world.
Arkia, another Israeli airline, has upgraded its self-check-in system for domestic flights to Eilat. Passengers can now conveniently check in using their mobile phones or home computers, saving time and avoiding airport lines.
Starting from March 17, the Israeli airline will implement updates to passenger service charges. Preordered trolleys will cost $3 per direction when booked in advance or through web check-in, and $4.50 at the airport check-in counter. Excess baggage weighing up to 44 lbs. will cost $6 per direction for preordered or web check-in, and $9 at the airport check-in counter.
Sun D'or canceling European flights
Sun D'or International Airlines, a subsidiary of El Al, has announced that it is compelled to make adjustments to its summer schedule due to the ongoing conflict and will not operate flights to the following destinations: Naples, Porto, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Belgrade.
The airline explained that "the continuation of the conflict and its impact on the aviation industry make it difficult to lease aircraft and affect Sun D'or's ability to operate its planned flight schedule fully. The decision to cancel these flights comes after exhausting all possible options for their operation."
"Customers who have purchased tickets to these destinations will have various options to choose from, including flying to their destination through connecting points via one of El Al's destinations, changing their flight ticket to another destination within El Al's European destinations (excluding Paris and London), or canceling the ticket and receiving a full refund. All passengers will be notified of the cancellation of their flights in the coming days via SMS or email and will be able to choose their preferred option," according to the airline.