17 April 2024 , 13:26
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British Airline crew are reportedly angry over the decision by the airline to continue flying to Israel despite the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and claim their safety is not being considered
British Airways crew have blasted the decision to keep flying to Israel due to safety with easyJet among airlines to pull out.
Tensions are riding high in the Middle East and there are fears that it could escalate into a more widespread war. Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles at Israel on April 13 with 99% claimed to have been intercepted by Israel’s own defences and in coordination with a US led coalition of partners.
Iran was retaliating after Israel bombed Iran’s consulate in Damascus on April 1 killing seven members of the Islamic Revolution’s Guards Corpse (IRGC). A high-ranking commander and his deputy were killed during the attack. Some airlines have chosen to suspend flights to Israel including easyJet but BA will continue heading to the country and crew would reportedly face disciplinary action if they failed to fly.
In a BA internal chatroom one captain said that a “duty of care to the cabin crew team has been absent” in the decision to fly to Israel, reported The Sun. They added: “I currently have limited confidence in the way that BA has dealt with this potentially life-threatening situation, and I look forward to being reassured prior to operating to Tel Aviv.”
An air steward also said that with the government’s advice against travelling to the region, he questioned what was the “rationale” behind the decision by BA. He stated: “To help make our colleagues feel safe and valued we would appreciate actually being told why you have come to the decision to keep flying to Tel Aviv.
“Especially when other European carriers have now ceased operations. Crew feel like BA are putting money before safety and many colleagues do not feel safe flying to Tel Aviv.” Another said: “Here we are, bombs flying into Israel, and I’m literally speechless. We still have our pilots and crews in that area.” A British Airways spokesman said: "We keep the Tel Aviv situation under constant review. We would never operate any flight unless it was safe to do so."
On Tuesday, easyJet said that it had cancelled flights to Israel for the next six months. It means a huge number of scheduled flights to the Middle Eastern country will not go ahead as planned, with the total ban in place until October 27. The move is a serious extension of the pause on services which was due to continue to April 21.
A spokesperson for the airline said of the decision: “As a result of the continued evolving situation in Israel, easyJet has now taken the decision to suspend its flights to Tel Aviv for the remainder of the summer season. Customers booked to fly on this route up to this date are being offered options, including a full refund."