El Al to drop three routes due to low passenger demand post-pandemic

Israel’s flag carrier El Al will reduce its network, cutting three routes connecting its home base in Tel Aviv and destinations in Europe and North America. 

The decision to cease operations on routes between Tel Aviv (TLV), Warsaw (WAW), and Brussels (BRU) was confirmed by the airline on June 24, 2022.  

Speaking to Israel news broadcaster Ynetnews, El Al said the cancellations are an attempt to adjust to post-COVID travel demands, which remain low on all three routes.  

While the airline warns that it could cancel additional routes or announce further changes in flight frequency in the near future, El Al hopes that adjustments to its flight network will help the carrier to “open up new and exciting destinations where passenger demand is greater”. 

The changes follow flight crew shortages, which resulted in the cancellation of dozens of scheduled passenger flights due to take off earlier in June 2022. At the time, the airline explained that its usual operations had been disrupted due to a labor dispute between the company’s management and pilots 

According to Israeli media, the carrier’s flight crew is still working at a wage set at the time of the pandemic while workload has significantly increased. This has led to some pilots taking sick leave and has resulted in staff shortages.