The Israeli government is planning to engage American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) over the carrier's recent decision to scrap its only Israel-bound service - Philadelphia International-Tel Aviv Ben Gurion - from January 2016 onwards.
Since AA's announcement, Israeli papers have been rife with speculation that the the withdrawal was based on political reasons, an accusation American has rejected claiming the route has run at a loss since its launch in 2009. Quoting unnamed sources, The Market business journal claimed the route was indeed profitable and that AA had abandoned the route in a bid to secure rights to more lucrative destinations in the Arab world.
The Haaretz paper reports Minister of Transport, Uzi Itzhaki, has now put pressure on diplomats in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to engage the carrier over the matter. However, they have warned the likelihood of success is relatively low given that American is a private-run entity with no government ties.
