Arkia Airlines announced on Sunday that due a sudden change in Jordanian policy, several flights scheduled to depart from Aqaba to Europe and Bangkok were cancelled.
The flight cancellations left hundreds of Israelis stranded at Aqaba Airport.
According to Arkia, Jordanian authorities have refused to approve certain flights operated by chartered European aircraft. As a result, some of the flights operated by Arkia—part of its alternative operations to Ben-Gurion Airport—are being halted.
Jordan’s decision was a surprise to Israeli authorities. Channel 12 reported that discussions are underway between Israeli aviation and security officials and their Jordanian counterparts to reach an immediate solution.
One of the hundreds of Israelis stuck in Aqaba described the situation to Channel 12: “There is no Arkia representative here, or any other Israeli representative. There is no water or food. People are sitting on the floor in total despair, and children are crying. The original flight was to Bangkok, and it had already been delayed several times. People have lost thousands of dollars on connecting flights and hotels. I contacted the Foreign Ministry’s emergency center, but they had no way to help us.”
A statement from Arkia said: “Following the immediate and unexpected policy change, and in the absence of real‑time regulatory approvals, several flights scheduled to depart from Aqaba Airport are not authorized to operate. As a result, Arkia is forced to cancel some flights from this airport until further notice.”
The company added that part of its operations will be moved to Taba Airport, subject to operational capabilities and required approvals. “Arkia is working with the relevant authorities in an effort to resume operations as soon as possible and will update its passengers regularly regarding flight status.
“The company apologizes to its customers for the inconvenience and emphasizes that these decisions are beyond its control during an especially challenging period for the aviation industry.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
