Israel’s El Al says scrapping S. Africa flights end March

An El-Al plane takes off from Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport – Copyright POOL/AFP Ludovic MARIN

Israeli flag carrier El Al said Friday it will scrap direct flights to South Africa following “a significant fall in demand by Israeli travellers” to the country and other destinations.

“From the end of March 2024, El Al will suspend its operations on the Johannesburg-Tel Aviv route,” an El Al statement said.

The announcement came hours before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is to issue an initial ruling on Pretoria’s case against Israel over alleged genocidal acts in Gaza.

The final El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Johannesburg is set to depart on March 27, according to the airline’s website.

Scores of international airlines have suspended Tel Aviv flights since the eruption of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, while many countries have warned their nationals against travelling to Israel.

The case brought by South Africa in the top United Nations court has signficantly strained relations with Israel, which denies accusations its military campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide against Palestinians.

The Hague-based ICJ could on Friday order Israel to stop its ground offensive and bombardment or Gaza, or permit more humanitarian aid to enter the territory.

The court will not however pass judgement on whether or not Israel is actually committing genocide in Gaza, as this process will likely take years.