Arkia Airlines announced today (Sunday) that, following a sudden change in policy by the Jordanian authorities, several flights scheduled to depart from Aqaba to Europe and Bangkok have been canceled.
The cancellations have left hundreds of Israeli travelers stranded at Aqaba Airport. According to the airline, Jordanian authorities are not granting approval for certain flights operated with European aircraft.
The decision came as a surprise in Israel, and officials from both the Israeli security and aviation sectors are engaging with their Jordanian counterparts to seek an immediate solution.
One of the Israelis stranded in Aqaba described the situation to Channel 12 News: "There is no Arkia representative here, or any other Israeli personnel, and no water or food. People are sitting on the floor in complete despair, and children are crying. The original flight was to Bangkok and had already been delayed several times. Many have lost thousands of dollars on connecting flights and hotel bookings. I contacted the Foreign Ministry’s operations center, but they don’t know how to help."
Arkia explained that "due to the sudden and unexpected policy change, and 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 airline added that part of its operations will be transferred to Taba Airport, depending on operational feasibility and regulatory approvals. "We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and emphasize that these decisions are beyond our control, coming at an especially challenging time for the aviation industry."