As Israel braces for an impending Hezbollah and Iranian attack, dozens of airlines have canceled flights to Tel Aviv.
By Pesach Benson, TPS
Airlines canceling flights to Tel Aviv have left tens of thousands of Israelis stranded overseas and struggling to make their way home.
One Israeli family shared with The Press Service how what was supposed to be a week-long visit to London became more complicated.
In a phone call from Edinburgh, Elad Armon of Kibbutz Sde Nahum told TPS-IL he flew out to London with his wife and three daughters, ages 11-14.
Two younger girls ages three and seven, stayed with Elad’s parents, who live on the same kibbutz.
“We had a great week in London,” said Elad, who is a spokesperson for the Valley of Springs local council in northern Israel, where Sde Nahum is located.
“We were at the Kings Cross Station in London waiting for a train to take us to Luton Airport when we got a message from Wizz saying the flight was canceled because of the security situation in Israel.”
Wizz is a Hungarian low-cost carrier.
Numerous airlines canceled their flights to Ben-Gurion Airport amid fears of war with Iran and Hezbollah.
‘We Didn’t Know What To Do’
“It was close to midnight and we didn’t know what to do. We tried some AirBnBs but everyone was asleep. We tried every friend in the area.”
Eventually, they learned of a small hotel in London’s Golders Green neighborhood that had space.
“It took us an hour to get there by bus, but there were two beds and we spent the night.”
The next day, “We tried El Al and we were told the next available flight will be from Luton in another week. Since we had another week, we decided to visit some Israeli friends in Scotland. We’ve been staying with them for the week and it feels a bit like home,” Elad said.
In the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 attack, El Al, Israel’s national airline flew during the Sabbath with rabbinic approval to repatriate Israeli reservists and rescue workers while other Israeli nationals spent days or weeks trying to make their way home.
Elad stressed that his family wasn’t the only one left in a lurch.
“I think the Wizz flight was fully booked but I don’t know the numbers. There’s a WhatsApp for Israelis traveling in London that we’re in, and we found out other Israelis are also stuck. I know of five families, but I’m sure there are more,” he said.
“Some rebooked to Cyprus and Greece, and from there, there are El Al flights. But we’re waiting for a regular flight straight back.”
Currently, an estimated 150,000 Israelis are stuck overseas.
Asked how his parents are managing with the younger girls, Elad said, “They only signed up for one week. My parents don’t have any choice but they’re managing. They’re heroes.”
Said Elad’s wife, Lena, “My mother-in-law is taking care of them and she’s doing a great job and they miss us and ask when we’re coming back.”
To help the children keep track of when they were coming home, Elad and Lena bought seven gifts — one for each day they would be away.
“They were counting the days and we didn’t come,” Lena said.
“We had to explain to the kids that unfortunately we’ll be back a week late, but we’re bringing extra presents from Scotland,” said Elad.
“We went hiking and everything is gorgeous, but we want to go home,” Lena stressed.
Wizz Air resumed flights on Tuesday, but on hearing of that, Elad said, “It might be hard for us to trust them again.”
Nobody could have foreseen the problem, Elad insisted.
“Because of the assassination of [Hamas leader Ismail] Haniyeh, things got tense and the airlines started canceling flights. We wouldn’t have gone if we had known this would be the situation,” Elad said.
“I found about the assassination online in the news. Friends in Israel told me things were getting tense. I hoped Wizz wouldn’t cancel, but unfortunately, they did.”
He will have to fill out paperwork to get reimbursed for the canceled flight, but will not be compensated for the expenses of the family’s extra week.
The last leg of the family trip will be a train ride from Edinburgh to London and then being on time at Louton for their Thursday evening departure.
“First thing when we get home, we’ll mostly hug the girls for an hour,” Elad said.