Suspension of flights to Israel likely to hurt tourism

Global Business

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday extended its prohibition against U.S. flights to Israel’s Tel Aviv airport for a second day.

The European Aviation Safety Agency on Tuesday “strongly” recommended that airlines refrain from flying to Israel. Air France has suspended flights “until further notice,” and Lufthansa canceled Thursday flights.

When the FAA lifts its ban, individual airlines must decide when to resume flights.

However, some tourists have continued to visit Israel, even with a ground offensive underway.

Some Israeli business owners face losing summer income, but it’s unclear how much tourism overall will be affected.

ISRAEL_TOURISM

Israel typically receives around 3.5 million tourists a year, by June this year 1.5 million had visited.

The U.S. makes up around 20 percent of visitors to the country, so the ban on U.S. airline flights is likely to impact Israeli tourism.

Chris Beck, president of the international insurance group Clements Worldwide, joined us with analysis.