The move is part of El Al’s refocusing on high-demand and profitable routes.
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE: ELAL) will stop scheduled flights to Istanbul and Larnaca in March 2007 because the routes are not viable. The airline said the move was part of its business restructuring to focus on high-demand and profitable routes.
El Al currently makes three weekly flights to both Istanbul and Larnaca. The airline said that its profit from the routes was low because of high security costs and the extreme seasonal nature of the destinations.
A few months ago, El Al announced that it would suspend its flights to Cairo because of high security costs and low demand. During 2006, the airline increased flights to Asian destinations, and initiated flights to Miami and Los Angeles. The airline said that it plans to increase flights to other destinations in the coming months, and that it had no plans to cancel more routes.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on January 30, 2007
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