Palestine Airlines Closed After 25 Years of Operation

Gaza, MINA – The Palestinian Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced that the Palestinian national airline, Palestine Airlines will close its services after 25 years of operation.

The decision came after the airline offered the remaining two Fokker 50 aircraft, which were donated by the Netherlands, for sale last September, MEMO reported.

The company was founded in 1995 and began operations in 1997, flying across the Middle East from Yasser Arafat International Airport in the Gaza Strip. However, the airport was destroyed by Israel in 2001 during the Second Intifada movement.

The airline moved to Egypt’s Al-Arish airport near the Gaza border but was forced to charter its aircraft and halt most activities in 2017.

The Palestinian Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Ammar Yassin, told the Palestinian News Network (PNN) that the Palestinian Authority (PA) had not received an offer for a plane parked in Amman and that one parked in Cairo had been leased to an airline in Nigeria.

But he explained, the contract was suspended due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

According to PNN, Palestine Airlines has eight employees, two pilots, three administrative employees and three ground staff. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)