El Al's decision to halt its flights to Egypt last month is not just an economic problem; it has also become a diplomatic crisis.
El Al has been operating flights to Cairo for the past 26 years and its operations are based on the peace agreements and normalization ties between the two countries.
Israel's ambassador to Egypt, Shalom Cohen responded to this move.
"I caution against the severe negative implications of halting flights from Israel to Egypt that constitute one of the most prominent signs of peace and normalization," Cohen told the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper Sunday.
Almost three months ago El Al informed the Prime Minister's Office and the ministries of tourism and foreign affairs of its intentions to stop its flights to Egypt due to the high costs of security that have rendered the Cairo Tel Aviv not profitable.
Following talks with the Transport Ministry, El Al undertook to continue its regular flights to Cairo until an alternative operator was found. Despite this, the route is due to be shut down as early as next week. Nonetheless, this month Egypt Air increased the number of its flights to Israel from two flights a week to three. All the flights on this route were fully booked.
El Al's decision to halt its flights to Cairo has sparked anger in Cairo.
Members of the Egyptian opposition parties said Egypt should also stop its flights.
"If the Israelis are not taking the peace agreements seriously, we must take advantage of this opportunity to also stop Egyptian airlines from flying to Israel."
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