General News

Japan-Israel Direct Flights Suspended; Japanese Urged to Leave as Soon as Possible

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Foreign Ministry head office in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:33 JST, October 26, 2023

Direct flights between Japan and Israel have been suspended for the time being, with the last flight departing from Israel on Wednesday evening – predawn on Thursday in Japan – due to the growing tension between Israel and Palestine, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.

The ministry is calling on the about 800 Japanese nationals in Israel to leave the country as soon as possible, as it will likely be difficult to leave the country in the future.

El Al Israel Airlines had been operating two direct flights a week between Narita and Tel Aviv. The suspension was due to a decrease in the number of passengers, according to the ministry. Currently, the number of commercial flights operating out of Tel Aviv is about 30% the normal level.

An additional Air Self-Defense Force transport plane dispatched by the Japanese government in preparation for the evacuation of Japanese nationals arrived in Jordan on Wednesday. This brings the number of SDF aircraft on standby in Jordan to three.