The government failed to plan ahead for mass air travel disruptions that could occur during wartime, resulting in repeated crises in recent years in which tens of thousands of Israelis have been stranded abroad, including reservists attempting to return to join the fight, the state auditor charged in a damning report published Wednesday.

Issued just as civil air traffic in Israel is starting to recover from the latest round of fighting, the state comptroller’s report found systematic shortcomings in the government’s handling of civil air traffic disruptions during prolonged emergency periods since the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror onslaught, which plunged the region into war.

Civilian air traffic was largely curtailed following the attack, and many foreign carriers have repeatedly suspended or canceled their Tel Aviv routes in response to the evolving security situation, which has included ballistic missile fire targeting the airport. During the 12-day war with Iran in June and in the latest war with Iran launched on February 28, Israel also severely restricted use of its airspace.

The extended disruptions since 2023 have left hundreds of thousands of people stranded abroad or unable to leave, and have also repeatedly forced travelers to rely only on carriers based in Israel: El Al, Israir, Arkia, and Air Haifa.

According to the report, Israelis, including soldiers and reservists, whose flights were canceled after October 7 and the June war with Iran struggled with air travel options and bore high financial burdens as ticket prices soared. During both conflicts, “it became clear that aspects of civil aviation were not adequately prepared for a protracted war,” State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman charged in pre-recorded comments accompanying the report.

When war broke out on October 7, “the Transportation Ministry, the Civil Aviation Authority, and the National Security Council had no procedure in place to prioritize the return of Israeli passengers abroad during an emergency based on their essentiality and national importance to the economy,” Englman said.

“Even soldiers and reservists who received call-up orders were forced to search for flights and pay high prices to return urgently to Israel,” said Englman.

During the June war, the closure of Israel’s airspace left between 100,000 and 150,000 people scrambling for a way to return to Israel. Due to limited flight availability, many had to pay for unplanned stays abroad and those who managed to find a way back often paid double or triple their original ticket price to do so.

“As a result, those who........

© The Times of Israel