Report: Ben-Gurion airport expected to reopen by June
Israel is weighing opening Ben-Gurion International Airport at the beginning of June as the coronavirus outbreak continues to level off in Israel.
A worker wearing protective clothing disinfects a plane after its arrival from Moscow at the Ben-Gurion International Airport as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, May 5, 2020. Photo by Yossi Zeliger/Flash90.
A “green” list of countries with low rates of infection would be the initial destinations in restarting flights, according to a report by Israel’s Channel 12 on Wednesday.
Among the destinations being considered are Germany, Georgia, Slovenia, Cyprus and the Greek Islands. In the first stage, slated for the beginning of June, a pilot would be assigned to one of these areas.
Other countries can be added to the list based on their infection rates and other considerations.
Separately, Gonen Usishkin, CEO of Israel’s national airline El Al, wrote a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday for him to intervene in the negotiations with the Finance Ministry on the terms of a bailout.
“We are asking you to instruct the Treasury to amend the outline it presented and to remove the unsuitable restrictions,” said Usishkin, reported i24 News. “Last night, we received a document in which the Treasury made additional unsolicited requirements, the sole purpose of which was to send El Al into liquidation.”
The Israeli government plans to bail out the airline, granting loan guarantees for 80 per cent of a $400 million loan.
JNS
