Irish airline Ryanair has canceled all its flights to and from Israel for the months of March and April amid the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza, Aviation News Israel reported on Monday.
The company has reportedly contacted passengers who had booked flights in advance, advising them that they are entitled to a refund, to rebook for a later date or use an alternative carrier if a flight is available.
Ryanair had already canceled its services to Israel on October 7 but had reportedly renewed some of its flights two weeks ago.
The Dublin-based airline did not immediately provide an explanation. However, it said on Tuesday that the decision was due to high airport operation costs.
#BreakingNews @Ryanair #ryanair has canceled all flights from #Israel in the coming months: March and April pic.twitter.com/4eResHI2sl
— Aviation News Israel (@AviationNewsIL) February 12, 2024
On February 5, El Al Israel Airlines Ltd announced that it will not restart its direct flights to the Irish capital of Dublin, citing changes in customer demands since the beginning of the war on Gaza.
Ireland has been one of the most outspoken European countries against the Israeli war on the Strip.
On Wednesday, Ireland and Spain called on European Union leaders to take action over the “deteriorating” situation in Gaza, demanding an immediate investigation into Israel’s compliance with human rights obligations.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 28,576 Palestinians have been killed, and 68,291 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 8,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all of the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
