Israel's El Al Airlines Extends Passenger Flight Halt to May 2
By Steven Scheer, Reuters | Apr. 01, 2020
El Al Israel Airlines said on Wednesday it was extending the suspension of all scheduled passenger flights until May 2 due to a drop in demand in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Israel's flagship carrier last week halted flights to and from Tel Aviv until April 4, citing concerns for the health of passengers and crew as well as the need to reduce expenses until the crisis ends.
El Al said on Wednesday it would continue to operate special rescue flights to various destinations in line with foreign ministry requests, and continue cargo flights using passenger aircraft.
The airline has said it is in need of a government loan of US$200 million to US$300 million to recover from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. About 5,500 of the carrier's 6,000 workers are on unpaid leave until May 31.