Months after ticket sales began: El Al cancels Hanoi route at the request of the Shin Bet

Ticket sales began long ago, but two months before the scheduled opening of the direct route to Hanoi, Vietnam, El Al has announced it is forced to cancel the service due to a lack of permits from security officials. The cancellation is not related to any specific security incident or travel warning, but rather to Israeli airport security procedures. In contrast, Arkia, which already flies to Hanoi using chartered aircraft, will continue its operations.

In a statement, El Al explained that the decision was made after security officials, operating under Shin Bet guidelines and responsible for Israeli aviation security, announced that it was not possible to grant the necessary permits to operate the route using Israeli aircraft and crews.

El Al had announced the launch of the Hanoi route back in February. The airline stated that prior to announcing the October opening, it had received principle approvals from all relevant bodies, including security agencies.

"After we completed the operational and commercial preparations and invested enormous resources, security officials reported that the flights could not be approved. In the absence of the security permits required to operate the route as planned, there was no choice but to cancel its opening," the company stated.

El Al has apologized to ticket holders and is offering a flexible change policy:

1. A flight to Hanoi via Bangkok with a connection on a foreign airline at no extra cost.

2. A change to another El Al destination on the same dates at no extra cost.

3. A full refund or a credit voucher for future use.

Customers have not yet received individual notifications. El Al stated that the cancellation process will be carried out gradually based on departure dates, with dedicated notifications being sent out starting next week.