As we reach the two-week mark of the current war with Iran, there has been a daily barrage – not only of missiles being fired into Israel but also of social-media posts from frustrated passengers who remain stranded far from home after airlines canceled their flights.
Passengers trying to make their way back home to Israel, or get back home from Israel, over the past two weeks have described flights being suddenly canceled or rescheduled multiple times with little warning. Some say they were notified only via WhatsApp, while others say they were only told they had no flight home after arriving at the airport.
In one Facebook post, a desperate couple described how they were trying to get back to their young children in the United States after a short stay in Israel. They said they had been issued a ticket by Israel’s national carrier, El Al, only to discover it had been canceled when they arrived at the airport.
After waiting hours for an answer or an alternative solution, a kindly member of El Al’s ground staff took down their details on a scrap of crumpled paper while standing next to a garbage bin, casting doubt that their names would ever make it past that bin, the author of the post said.
On Monday, more than a week after the war started, total chaos broke out at Ben-Gurion Airport, as hundreds of passengers holding outbound tickets were suddenly denied permission to fly. Television reports showed airport security workers tussling with frustrated and crying travelers.
While wartime conditions leave everyone tense, and security assessments – particularly when missiles are crisscrossing Israel’s skies – are fluid, after two and a half years of war, preceded by the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s about time airlines, especially Israeli ones, had efficient operational systems in place to deal with customers during emergencies like this.
And although this may sound like we’re singling out one airline in particular, El Al, for greater scrutiny, the Israeli carrier, which presents itself as the only reliable option during war and boasts about its “rescue flights,” appears to have seen its emergency and customer-service systems totally collapse.
El Al admits to failure since war began
In a short video clip released on Wednesday, Alon Lavi, the director of El Al’s Operations Control Center, admitted the company’s failings since the Iran War began.
“You choose El Al because you trusted us to be there when it matters,” he said. “This week, you were disappointed, and we understand. Flights were canceled, our website struggled under the load, some of you could not reach us when you needed us most, and we did not make sure to reach you. That was not acceptable, and we are sorry.”
“El Al is operating under emergency conditions in close coordination with Israeli aviation and security authorities,” he added.
Lavi cited rolling government restrictions and customers who had not updated their personal information as reasons for the chaos. While those factors may play a role, El Al – which made wartime profits of an astounding $403.3 million last year (in 2024 it was 26% more) and previously received Israeli government financial assistance during the pandemic – should be far better prepared.
Since the October 7 massacre and the Israel-Hamas War, flights into and out of Israel have been grounded multiple times: immediately after the Hamas terrorist attack, again when Iran fired missile barrages in April 2024 and October 2024, and once more during the 12-day war with Iran in June 2025, as well as numerous times in between.
You would think that by now, all airlines – especially El Al – would have learned how to handle and help thousands of stranded passengers when airspace suddenly becomes unstable.
A contingency plan should already exist for moments when geopolitical events disrupt the skies. At the very least, the airline could invest some of its wartime profits in professional customer service that is capable of answering calls, explaining what is happening, and helping passengers find alternative solutions – or at least offering a sympathetic ear.
While war may explain chaos in the skies, it should not excuse chaos on the ground. For a war-weary nation that depends heavily on air travel, Israel’s national carrier must prove it can serve the public in a crisis – not just profit during one.