From Ramallah to Istanbul via Israel as early as this August – the Airports Authority is preparing to operate the first international flights for Palestinians from Ramon International Airport near Eilat to Istanbul, Turkey.
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If the initiative indeed comes to fruition, it would be a historic move as Palestinians, for the first time, would be able to fly abroad for vacation through Israel, not through Jordan, which they have had to do until now via the Allenby Bridge that serves as their gateway abroad.
Turkish Pegasus Airlines, which already operates direct flights from Turkey to Ben Gurion Airport, is preparing to operate the direct flights for Palestinians from Ramon Airport to Istanbul.
At this stage, the initiative is a pilot program that will be carried out subject to the approval of Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
Security officials are examining all aspects of the issue, as it is a complex process whereby passengers will have to go through various pre-defined inspections for entering Israel, as well as boarding a plane.
If the pilot program does commence, adjustments will be required and serious questions will arise, including who will be responsible for arranging their entry into Israel, whether they travel by bus directly to Ramon Airport, and who will be eligible to partake in the program.
Another question is who will secure the flights, and who will provide pre-flight services to Palestinian passengers in Israel and abroad.
The process of transferring the Palestinians to Ramon Airport is expected to be orderly and supervised.
The initiative is part of a series of goodwill gestures for the Palestinians currently under consideration in the wake of US President Joe Biden's recent visit.
'A welcome move'
Thus far, as stated, Palestinians wanting to fly abroad, including to popular destinations such as Turkey or Saudi Arabia (Mecca), had to travel on land from the Palestinian Authority to Jordan via the Allenby Bridge border crossing and depart from Queen Alia International Airport in Amman.
Pegasus Airlines and Ramon Airport have already been asked to prepare to operate the flights as early as August, as stated, subject to the green light from Gantz.
Ramon International Airport, which opened in January 2019, remained empty throughout the COVID pandemic, and even now is struggling to regain its footing in relation to international flights.
An official at Ramon Airport told Israel Hayom that they welcome the initiative and hope it will be implemented and expanded. "For more than two years there have been no international flights here. This place needs to come back to life, and any move in this direction is welcome. Hopefully, more airlines will return flights to Ramon," the official said.
The IDF Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said: "Recently, the defense establishment has been carrying out staff work on the subject. We emphasize that the work on this matter has not yet been completed and approved by the relevant parties."
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