Riyadh Yes... Tel Aviv No: A Surprising Decision from Dutch Airline KLM

SadaNews - The Dutch airline KLM announced the suspension of its flights to Tel Aviv, just 24 hours after announcing the resumption of its air route between Israel and Amsterdam, in a move described as surprising, according to SadaNews Economy's translation of a report published in the Globes economic newspaper.

The company stated in an official statement that it will not reinstate flights to Tel Aviv at this stage, while it has already resumed flights to other destinations in the region, including Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, and is considering the possibility of resuming flights to Dubai starting next Friday, January 30.

This reversal comes after KLM announced yesterday its intention to resume flights to Israel starting January 28, based on an exceptional operational model that relies on daytime flights with a technical stop in Cyprus. According to the plan proposed at that time, flights from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv were supposed to depart in the morning, while return flights included an operational stop in Paphos, Cyprus, without disembarking passengers, according to SadaNews Economy's translation.

According to SadaNews Economy's translation, this model aims to enable flight crews to return to their bases on the same day, without the need for overnight stays in Israel, a method that has become common since the outbreak of the war and is viewed as a temporary solution that allows for continued air activity while reducing security and operational risks.

In contrast, Air France, which is part of the same group, took a different route, as it resumed its flights to Israel last weekend after a brief stoppage of only one day. This is attributed, according to estimates, to the shorter duration of the flight compared to the Amsterdam–Tel Aviv route, which allows it to be operated as daily flights without the need for a stop in a third country.