Ryanair, the Irish low-cost airline, has canceled all flights to Israel for the months of March and April, shortly after resuming operations at Ben Gurion Airport. Initially, like many other airlines, Ryanair had halted its flights to Israel following the outbreak of the war. However, it made a comeback on February 1st, offering a limited flight schedule to destinations such as Memmingen, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Marseille, Milan, and Vienna.
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To the astonishment of travelers, it was announced that Ryanair's flight schedule to Israel for March and April is now completely empty, indicating all flights during this period have been abruptly canceled. Curiously, the airline has not issued an official statement or provided any response regarding this sudden change. At present, the flight schedule on their website remains the only source of information available.
Flights to Vienna, Milan, and Baden-Baden are still listed on the website for the current month, and there are plans for flights in May to destinations like Bucharest, Berlin, and Budapest. However, industry insiders in Israel have informed Ynet that Ryanair will soon be notifying its customers about the cancellation of their flights.
In a separate development, El Al, Israel's national airline, recently announced that it will not be renewing its route to Dublin due to a significant drop in demand. Ireland has gained a reputation as one of the most critical countries toward Israel within the European Union, consistently taking a challenging stance against Israel in EU institutions since the onset of the war. In closed discussions, they have even advocated for sanctions against Israel and supported a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a ceasefire, without explicitly condemning Hamas or demanding the release of all captives.
Adding to the controversy, Ryanair has sparked anger among Israelis after it was discovered that their booking website includes an option under the "residence" field to select "Occupied Palestinian Territory," supposedly intended for passengers from the Palestinian Authority. This revelation has further fueled frustration and discontent among Israeli travelers.