El Al Not Resuming Summer Flights to Dublin, Marrakech

Jerusalem, 5 February, 2024 (TPS) -- Israel’s national carrier, El Al, announced on Monday it will not resume summer flights to Dublin or Marrakech, due to a lack of customer interest since the October 7 war broke out.

“Starting from the beginning of April 2024 and throughout the upcoming summer season, we will not resume our operations on the lines to Dublin in Ireland and Marrakesh in Morocco, due to the ongoing security situation and significant drop in demand,” the airline said.

El Al said the move allows the airline to expand its flights to more popular destinations.

Shortly after October 7, Israel’s National Security Council raised the travel warning for Morocco to Level 2, meaning citizens traveling there are advised to “exercise greater caution.”

Israel and Morocco normalized relations in December 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords. An estimated one million Israelis are either from Morocco or are of Moroccan descent. More than 200,000 Israelis visited Morocco in 2022, as coronavirus travel restrictions came to an end.

Ireland is pushing the European Union to review it’s relations with Israel, claiming Israel’s war in Gaza may breach a human rights clause in the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The agreement, signed in 1995, governs bilateral Israel-EU relations. An estimated 2,700 Jews live in Ireland, mostly in Dublin.

The move follows El Al recently suspending all flights to South Africa as of April 1. That announcement was made hours before the International Court of Justice announced its interim ruling on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. South Africa petitioned the court to intervene, accusing Israel of committing “genocide” against the Palestinians in Gaza.

Around 52,000 Jews live in South Africa. In December, the South African Foreign Ministry said that its nationals fighting for the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza may be committing war crimes and could become “liable for prosecution” in South Africa.

All passengers whose flights will be canceled will be notified and offered alternative travel options, El Al said.