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Anyone who has tried to visit Israel since the Gaza war began knows that air travel has gotten complicated. International flights face long delays or are suddenly canceled depending on the security situation. This has been a windfall for Israel's airlines, particularly national carrier El Al. NPR's international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam reports from Tel Aviv.
JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: It's just past 3 o'clock in the morning, and a long line of passengers snake through a security check-in here at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. The rest of the departures hall is quiet. The departures and arrival board explains why. It shows dozens of scheduled flights by international carriers canceled or delayed. In contrast, all flights on El Al airlines are operating.
OMRY COHEN: So it's the beginning of the conflict. We find ourselves being, most of the time, the only carrier flying. We are one of the very, very few ways of going in and out of Israel.
NORTHAM: Omry Cohen is chief operating officer at El Al Airlines. He says when rockets and missiles start flying over Israel, many international airlines become skittish and cancel flights.
COHEN: We've seen that our competitors have been, so far, hesitant to return. Some have tried, and others have declared already that they won't be back for a while. And that leaves us with a hundred percent of the market, especially on the direct route.
NORTHAM: Not surprisingly, the bad security situation has been good news for Israel's airlines. El Al's profits have surged. In August, it reported a quarterly profit of nearly 150% - that after years have running huge deficits. Cohen says during COVID, 98% of the company was furloughed and planes were grounded. Now the company is looking to buy more aircraft. But Richard Aboulafia, managing director at Aerodynamic Advisory, an aviation consultancy firm, says running an airline in emergency mode has its downsides.
RICHARD ABOULAFIA: You've got higher insurance premiums, and you've got the fact that you're just as vulnerable to an airport shutdown as everybody else in the event of hostilities breaking out or even just random missile fire.
NORTHAM: And many countries don't allow Israeli airlines to fly over their airspace. Aboulafia says there are also cultural challenges, such as ultra-Orthodox men refusing to sit next to female passengers who are not part of their family and religious holidays.
ABOULAFIA: There's the endless politicized battles about whether or not they can or should fly on the sabbath and whatever else.
NORTHAM: For many, El Al is seen as part of Israel's identity. It's been around as long as the state - 76 years. Oleg Mihalicanko (ph), who was waiting to board his flight to Cyprus, says there's a sense of safety with El Al. He says there are undercover security officials on board, and the pilots are used to maneuvering in a hostile environment.
OLEG MIHALICANKO: All the pilots in El Al - they are fighter pilots. They fly with F-16, F-15, and they have a lot of experience. Well, passenger carrier plane is a bit different from a fighter jet. You can't roll in the air.
NORTHAM: Mihalicanko just wishes El Al could improve the food.
MIHALICANKO: My wife flew with them a few months ago in August, and she told me that the food was really cheap and really awful. Yeah.
NORTHAM: Cohen says the airline has been working hard to improve service on the carrier so customers continue to use El Al once a war is over. One of the biggest complaints is ticket prices and that the airline is taking advantage of its near-monopoly. A complaints commission is now investigating. Cohen says the high prices are a combination of last-minute purchases and a lack of availability.
COHEN: Well, you'll find that the economy will be fully booked. And when you go online, you'll see that the pricing that's in front of you is mainly premium and business, which is, even in regular times, higher-priced.
NORTHAM: Cohen says El Al has capped some prices - small comfort for passengers trying to get in or out of Israel. Major carriers such as American Airlines, Delta and British Airways say they're suspending flights until at least springtime next year. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
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