POLAND: LOT Polish Airlines Introduces Flights To Gothenburg,Israel,Berlin Tegel,Oslo,Hannover, Domodedovo And Podgorica

LOT Polish Airlines has introduced a hat-trick of new routes, including one to Russia, the host country of the upcoming World Cup Finals.

The Polish flag carrier launched services from Warsaw Chopin (WAW) to Podgorica (TGD) on 2 June, to Moscow Domodedovo (DME) on 3 June and to Hannover (HAJ) on 4 June.

The 1,096-kilometre Podgorica connection and the 1,165-kilometre Domodedovo link will both be operated six times per week by the airline’s E-Jet aircraft.

The 766-kilometre Hannover route will be flown 12 times per week with E170s. None of the routes face incumbent competition.

LOT Polish Airlines introduced Gothenburg (GOT) to its network this week, beginning a six times weekly service to Warsaw Chopin (WAW).

Launched 28 August, the 824-kilometre route is already flown by Wizz Air three times weekly on A320s.

It is very pleasing for Swedavia to be able to offer more travelers a quick and easy line to the trendy and exciting city of Warsaw.

It is also an important line for business travelers in both Poland and Western Sweden, said Charlotte Ljunggren, Director, Gothenburg Airport.

LOT will operate the route using 70-seat CRJ 900s which it flies on behalf of Nordica, which on the same day began services to Gothenburg from Tallinn.

Gothenburg becomes LOT’s second route to Sweden from Chopin, with it also serving Stockholm Arlanda with three daily flights.

LOT Polish Airlines commenced a weekly service between Rzeszow (RZE) and Tel Aviv (TLV) on 11 March, with the 737-800-operated service being flown on a Warsaw Chopin-based aircraft, routing Chopin–Tel Aviv–Rzeszow–Tel Aviv–Chopin.

The 2,274-kilometre airport pair launched by the Star Alliance member this week will not face direct competition, and will operate inbound from Tel Aviv on Saturday evenings, with the outbound leg from Rzeszow being flown on Sunday mornings.

With this launch, LOT now serves Tel Aviv from six airports in Poland on 21 weekly flights.

LOT Polish Airlines now flies 12 times weekly to Berlin Tegel (TXL) from its Warsaw Chopin (WAW) hub, having ceased operations to the German capital in July 2013.

The route, which started on 4 December, is operated by the Star Alliance carrier’s Q400s and E170s, and a third daily flight will be added from June 2018.

Tegel is the sixth airport in Germany that LOT Polish Airlines operates to, with Nuremburg soon to become the seventh.

LOT Polish Airlines is back in Berlin. We are pleased that the airline is resuming its connection to Warsaw, says Engelbert LUtke Daldrup, CEO of Berlin Brandenburg Airport.

We share a long history: LOT was one of the first airlines at Schonefeld Airport. It is good to know that they are once again securing this important route into the economic centre of our neighbours.

There is no competition on the airport pair.

LOT Polish Airlines introduced services between Warsaw Chopin (WAW) and Oslo Gardermoen (OSL) on 25 March.

The Star Alliance member will offer 13 weekly flights on the 1,078-kilometre European capital connection using its fleet of E195s.

Competition on the route comes from Norwegian and SAS, with the rivals offering 10 weekly rotations combined between the two airports when referencing OAG schedules.

LOT Polish Airlines now flies 12 times weekly to Berlin Tegel (TXL) from its Warsaw Chopin (WAW) hub, having ceased operations to the German capital in July 2013.

The route, which started on 4 December, is operated by the Star Alliance carrier’s Q400s and E170s, and a third daily flight will be added from June 2018.

Tegel is the sixth airport in Germany that LOT Polish Airlines operates to, with Nuremburg soon to become the seventh.


Tourism Observer

ISRAEL: Chinese Tourists Increase,White Flowers Symbolize Death And Mourning In Chinese Culture

The Ministry of Tourism’s investment in promoting Israel in China has paid dividends, with a 68.6% increase from 2015 to 2016.

The ministry has invested nearly ten million shekels a year, and China’s largest private airline, Hainan, started offering flights to Israel.

The Ministry of Tourism’s data show that 79,268 tourists from China visited Israel in 2016, but the ministry’s goal is to cross the 100,000 barrier in number of Chinese tourists per year.

Hoteliers adapt their offerings, from breakfast to flower colors, to accommodate the 69% boom in tourists from China. These visitors benefit the Israeli economy by spending 69% more than their European counterparts per day in the country.

The average Chinese visitor is extremely interested in Israeli history and culture from biblical times to the modern high-tech boom.

The preferred destination is Jerusalem, with 81% of Chinese tourists visiting the capital with most making sure to visit the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Despite Jerusalem’s popularity, Israel’s second city still receives a fair amount of Chinese tourists, with 71% visiting Tel Aviv. The Dead Sea sees 56% of the Chinese who come to Israel.

According to the official data, the average Chinese tourist spends considerably more in Israel than the average European, with the former spending about $267 per day versus the latter’s $158.

Israeli hoteliers at the Dan and Isrotel chains have sought to adapt their offerings to their new guests from the Far East, with many hotels establishing a “Chinese corner” in the breakfast room.

Apparently, many non-Chinese guests have also taken to the rice congee and steamed broccoli to start their day rather than the traditional Israeli offerings of salads, cheeses and baked goods.

Roy Kriezman, Manager of China and Far East Markets at Dan, says that representatives from his hotel chain are travelling to China to learn from Chinese hotels how best to accommodate the influx of new visitors.

In addition to the breakfast offerings, modifications for Chinese guests include the coffee selections in the rooms being switched out with teas, the addition of two Chinese television station, written information being provided in Chinese, and providing smaller complimentary slippers.

A seemingly small detail has also been addressed, Kriezman shared: flower colors. Dan learned to change out the white flowers in its room with red ones, as white flowers symbolize death and mourning in Chinese culture.

UAE: Emirates Launch Flights To Hong Kong

Emirates is set to boost its service to Hong Kong with the arrival of a 615-seater superjumbo, while Cathay Pacific will launch new summer flights to Barcelona in a double coup for the airport.

The Dubai carrier will start regular service with its Airbus A380 on the Dubai-Bangkok-Hong Kong service – flights EK384/385 – from October 1, according to aviation data tracking service Airline Route. The airline confirmed the aircraft would be upsized and it would also be deployed to the city over the Lunar New Year in response to high demand during the holiday period.

The existing service provides 517 seats. But first class will be scrapped entirely and some business class seats will be removed to make room for economy class seats.

The extra seats will mean more cheap airfare opportunities for travellers to Bangkok and Dubai. Emirates’ low-fare strategy has already caused much anger and frustration among rival airlines in Asia, Europe and the United States.

The airline currently operates four daily flights between Dubai and Hong Kong, including one via Bangkok, three of which are served by the Airbus A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world.

Will Horton, a Hong Kong-based aviation analyst at CAPA Centre for Aviation, said the upgrade of the Emirates flight to 615 seats was ideal for cost-conscious Hongkongers.

“The routing through Hong Kong and Bangkok brings the aircraft back to Dubai in time for European connections. So hub efficiency is maintained,” Horton said. “Emirates grows Bangkok capacity at key hours and can offer a lower-cost option for the Hong Kong market compared to the non-stop to Dubai, and also make a play in picking up local Hong Kong-Bangkok traffic.”
Airlines have sought ways to grow at Hong Kong International Airport in recent years as the number of take-off and landing slots have become increasingly scarce as the two runways reach full capacity.

Budget carrier HK Express took delivery of the world’s first 188-seat single-aisle Airbus A320neo aircraft (neo stands for new engine option), in response to the challenges, adding up to 14 seats compared to its existing aircraft.

In more good news for the Airport Authority, home carrier Cathay Pacific announced it intended to launch a new summer seasonal service to Barcelona, Spain, from July, adding to the airport’s global footprint.

The expansion raises Cathay’s list of European destinations to 13, including the launch of Tel Aviv in Israel from March.
“Barcelona isn’t important for the sake of Barcelona but rather launching it seasonally shows Cathay is willing to break away from regimented consistency,” Horton said. “What you fly in July you don’t have to fly in February. It’s a positive sign about becoming more agile.”

Cathay, Hong Kong’s largest carrier, said it would fly four times a week deploying its next-generation Airbus A350 aircraft. The service is expected to run until October, during the peak of the summer travel season. The airline currently flies four times a week to the Spanish capital Madrid.

TURKEY: Terror Attacks Cause Suffering To Turkey's Hospitality, Tourism And Travel Industries

Stunning architecture, a rich and ancient history, beautiful beaches and a bustling urban nightlife have long drawn tourists from around the world to Turkey and its capital, Istanbul.

But after a recent spate of violence and terrorism in the country, its tourism industry, an important part of the nation’s economy, is suffering.

Tourism accounted for a little more than 12 percent of Turkey’s gross domestic product in 2014, significantly higher than the global average of roughly 9 percent, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

But, according to a bulletin published by the Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the country saw a massive, 30 percent dropoff in the number of visits by foreigners in January through November 2016 compared to the same period in 2015.

In contrast, the 2015 period was down just 1 percent from January to November 2014.

Gül Taner, a sales manager for GurTur Travel, an agency based out of Harbiye, a neighborhood in Istanbul, said that in the 25 years her company has been in business, the country has never gone through anything like the violence in 2016.

“Until last year we never seen attacks like this,” Taner said. “This is a different chapter in Turkish history.”

“Terrorist attacks are negatively affecting all sectors of Turkish life right now and not just tourism,” she said.

A New Year’s attack in an Istanbul nightclub left 39 dead, a massacre for which ISIS claimed responsibility. ISIS was also blamed by Turkish authorities for an assault at the Istanbul airport in June that killed 41 and the terror group claimed responsibility for at least two other deadly bombings in the city in 2016.

In the mass shooting at the Reina nightclub on New Year’s morning, many of those killed or injured were foreigners from a diverse array of countries including Belgium, France, India, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, according to Turkish media.

Taner said she’s hopeful that the spate of terror attacks will slow that visitors hesitant visiting the country now will change their minds.

“I will always wish good things for my country,” she said.

ISRAEL: Air Transat To Offer Direct Flights FromMontreal To Israel, June 18th

Air Transat will be the only airline to offer direct flights to Israel from Montreal when it begins twice weekly service starting June 18, on A330-300 aircraft.

Also available from Toronto with a connection in Montreal, the nonstop flights between Montréal Trudeau airport and David Ben-Gurion will operate on Wednesdays and Sundays until late October.

Along with air Transat will also be offering packages, guided tours and hotels.

“We are thrilled to feature our very first destination in the Middle East,” says Annick Guérard, President and General Manager of Transat Tours Canada. “The demand for a direct Montreal-Tel Aviv flight was high for travellers visiting friends and family in the two cities and those in search of new discoveries. Tel Aviv is a vibrant and modern metropolis with plenty to offer when it comes to culture, gastronomy and nightlife. It is also the ideal gateway for a vacation immersing travellers in ancient and religious history.”

Ziv Nevo Kulman, the Consul General of Israel in Montreal and its Permanent Representative to ICAO, called the announcement great news for Quebecers eager for the re-establishment of a direct air link between Montreal and Israel, “Thanks to this direct flight, more Israelis will also be able to enjoy the 150th and 375th anniversary festivities in Canada and Montreal,” he added.

The opening of an air route is further proof of the success of Israel’s marketing efforts and that airlines view Israel as a sought-after tourism destination with economic potential, noted Yariv Levin, the Israeli Minister of Tourism, adding that Israel views Transat “as a partner that will help increase the numbers of tourists arriving in Israel”. He said he hopes to see additional routes opening soon.

Air Transat’s weekly seat capacity out of Montreal is up 20% compared to 2016.

The Tel Aviv flights will be available for booking soon, says Air Transat.

IRAN: Iran And Armenia Open Borders For Cooperation

After the partial lifting of the international sanctions against Iran, Tehran has figured out the need to develop the tourism industry. Within the framework of the state program of tourism development, the Iranian authorities are studying the possibility of introducing a visa-free regime for citizens of 60 more countries. Iran has already lifted visa requirements for travelers from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Lebanon, Georgia, Bolivia, Egypt and Syria to stimulate the tourism industry in the country. Citizens of these countries can stay in Iran without visas from between 15 to 90 days.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif recently signed a memorandum on liberalization of the visa regime between the two countries in Tehran. The director of the Caucasus Institute, Alexander Iskandaryan, explained to Vestnik Kavkaza that the decision of Tehran and Yerevan came from a longstanding background: "Iran and Armenia have good-neighborly relations, which are developing in the economic and communication spheres. Iran is one of the two countries with which Armenia has open borders. Political relations between them are also quite favorable – there are many Iranian tourists and businessmen in Armenia."

Iranian citizens have prevailed among people receiving visas to Armenia for years, they are ahead of citizens of the US, Turkey, Israel, Syria, Canada, Japan, Lebanon, India and Iraq. In 2013 Armenia unilaterally ratified the visa regime for citizens of 27 EU Member States, as well as 4 non-EU members, but to which regulations of the Schengen-area apply – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland: they can visit Armenia without visas and stay in the country for 90 days.

According to Iskandaryan, the abolition of visas is advantageous for Iran in economic terms: "Relations will develop, because the process of lifting the sanctions against Iran has started, while there were economic problems between Armenia and Iran in the absence of political problems – that is, some decisions were taken, but there was a problem with money. The fact is that Iran's hands were financially tied. Now, due to the gradual removal of sanctions, Iran will feel freer in a financial sense and can continue developing its partnership."

A senior research fellow of the Institute for Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladimir Sazhin, also praised the abolition of visas.

"When they lift the visa regime, they remove barriers to human communication. Given the fact that Armenia and Iran have thousands of years of common history [there are more than 150 thousand ethnic Armenians in Iran now], the abolition of visas is a positive thing. Recently, Armenians have visited Iran, and Iranians have visited Armenia, including on vacation. All this, of course, is also a positive thing," Sazhin told Vestnik Kavkaza.

However, according to him, there is the political aspect in this process: "Relations between Tehran and Yerevan are good both economically and politically. Despite the fact that Iran is a Muslim country, while Armenia is a Christian country, there are almost no fundamental contradictions between them. Nevertheless, the Karabakh problem exists. Iran seeks and offers itself as a mediator in resolving the very difficult relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia".

RWANDA: New Visa Policy For Rwanda

The government of the Republic of Rwanda has renewed and updated its immigration and visa. As approved by the laws of Rwanda, the law takes effect on 1st November 2014.

The nationals of Germany, Australia, Israel, South Africa, United Kingdom and the United States of America shall get entry visas and pay visas fees upon arrival at any entry point in Rwanda without prior application. The entry visa is USD30 valid for a period of 30 days. Nationals of these countries may also choose to get visas at Rwanda Diplomatic Missions (except the UN Mission in New York) or online.

East African Community (EAC) Partner states shall continue to be issued 6 months visitor pass (renewable) at entry points with no fee.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) citizens will continue getting visitor visas for a stay not exceeding 90 days with no fee as provided by the CEPGL agreement.

Nationals of Singapore, Hong Kong, Mauritius and Philippines are exempted from entry/tourism visas for a stay of up to 90 days

National of African countries not exempted from visa fees shall continue getting entry visa at Rwandan entry points (Kigali International Airport and all land borders)

The rest of the nationals not mentioned shall get visa upon application before travelling and pay prescribed fees.

For more information, please, contact the Rwandan embassy in your country before travel to Rwanda.

P. O. BOX 6229, KIGALI
Tel. +250 78 815 2222 / +250 78 889 9971 Fax +250 0252585292

Email: info@migration.gov.rw | visa@migration.gov.rw |passport@migration.gov.rw

https://www.migration.gov.rw/

TANZANIA: Ukrainian Tourists Head For Zanzibar

CHARTER flights from abroad, transporting tourists to Zanzibar, are expected to increase after Ukraine announced the launch of direct flights to the islands beginning tomorrow (Friday).

Officers from the Ministry of Tourism, and the ‘Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT)’ said at a press conference held here that the First charter flight with about 180 tourists on board, is expected to land on ‘Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (AAKIA).’

“This will be the first group of tourists from Ukraine. Therefore we have organised a special reception, which include traditional dances, to welcome the tourists expected to stay in Zanzibar for nine days,” Mr Issa Mlingoti- deputy Principal Secretary (PS) informed journalists.

He thanked the ‘Travelling Professional Group (TPG)’ of Ukraine, and the local company ‘Zanzibar Tours & Travellers (ZTT)’ for initiating the new charter flight, an addition to other direct flights from Italy and Germany.

Flanked by the ZCT executive director Mr Saleh Feruzi, ZCT Chairman Dr Ahmada Khatib, and ZCT Marketing director Dr Miraji Ussi, the PS said having tourists from emerging tourists market such as Ukraine and other Asian countries was the focus of the government.

“We have been recording an increase of tourists from Israel, China, Russia, India, and Poland. Let us (citizens) maintain peace and stability even when in political disputes. Tourists come to destinations where there is peace,” Mr Mligonti emphasized.

Mr Feruzi said, so far there is no link between the current political disputes and tourists arrivals as no cancellation has been recorded due to the ‘impasse.’ “There was a drop in arrivals last year (2015), but it was because of inaccurate data recording in the previous year (2014), mainly double entry,” he said.

He said ZCT recorded 181,301 tourists in 2013 followed by 311,881 in 2014 which was an error, and last year the number of tourists who visited Zanzibar was 294,245.

But also, Mr Feruz said, terror threats, in East African region and Ebola in West Africa might have caused tourists to cancel their flights to Zanzibar or Africa.

TURKEY: Antalya Records Less Russian Tourists With 81% Decrease

The number of Russian tourists visiting Turkey’s top holiday resort town of Antalya decreased by 81 percent, as their numbers plummeted to 2,427 in January from 12,870 of January 2015 while the total number of tourists visiting the city in January decreased 17 percent, according to official figures.

Numbers also showed that only a total of 97,601 tourists visited Antalya in January, the lowest for January in the last decade.

Antalya hosted some 135,010 tourists in January 2006 and 125,446 in January 2007. It saw its highest turnout in January 2008 with 140,306. In January 2009 and January 2010, Antalya received 106,539 and 140,019 visitors, respectively. After 2010, the number of tourists visiting the city reached a stable level, with 126,272 tourists in January 2011, 122,314 in January 2012, 111,485 in January 2013 and 116,974 in January 2014. Last January, Antalya’s total visitors stood at 117,746.

Antalya gathers millions of local and international tourists each year, with its luxury hotels usually overbooked especially in the summer seasons. Meanwhile in winter, tourism slows down due to dropping temperatures.

The Russian market experienced the largest decrease in the number of tourists visiting the city in January 2016, as Russia ranked 5th in 2016, compared to 2nd in 2015 in terms of countries with the highest number of visitors to Antalya.

Turkey was Russia’s number one foreign tourism destination for years but this came to an abrupt end following the shooting down of a Russian military plane by Turkish jets on the Syria-Turkey border on Nov. 24, 2015. Upon the incident, Russia imposed economic sanctions against Turkey and travel restrictions on Russian tourists visiting Turkey.

Turkey’s tourism industry also expects to see losses in other markets this year after an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) suicide bomb attack in Istanbul’s top tourist spot Sultanahmet, which killed 11 German tourists on Jan. 12, highlighted security concerns for tourists planning to visit Turkey.

The loss in the German market stood at 16 percent as the number of Germans visiting Antalya decreased to 44,262 in January 2016 from 52,731 in January 2015. While Germans took the top spot for tourists in Antalya, the Dutch followed second. However the Dutch market has also decreased by 20 percent compared to 2015, as this year’s January number fell to 4,544 from 5,688.

The number of Israeli visitors saw a 122 percent increase, bringing it to third. In January 2016, the number of Israeli tourists visiting the city reached to 4,475, a huge leap from 2,008 visitors in January 2015.

Britain came fourth with a 14 percent decrease as Antalya only hosted some 2,965 English tourists in January. British tourists mostly like Antalya for its luxury golf club resorts in the Belek region of the province.

According to the statistics of Antalya’s provincial directorate of culture and tourism, among the 38 countries that send tourists to Antalya, only nine surpassed their January 2015 numbers. However, the surplus in the number of tourists arriving from these nine (which included Israel, Ukraine, France, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Estonia, Serbia and Syria) covered only 30 percent of the loss caused by the decrease in the Russian market.

KYRGYZSTAN: Kyrgyzstan named the best photo-tour destination

Kyrgyzstan won the National Geographic Traveler contest in the nomination “The best destination for photo-tour”, - reports the official website of the National Geographic.

More than a quarter of million Russians participated in the survey to vote for the most touristic countries in 18 nominations.

The awarding ceremony was held on 18 November in Moscow, where the Second Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan Ayimkan Kulukeeva highlighted rich of touristic resources of Kyrgyzstan.

These are, firstly, picturesque high-mountain lake Issyk-Kul and its surroundings well known for warm sand beaches, thermo-mineral radon springs, Alpine meadows and coniferous forests.

“Flights to Issyk-Kul have been launched from Bishkek and Kazakhstan. Moreover, visitors can visit mountain resorts on a helicopter”, - noted the Second Secretary.

Kyrgyzstan won the National Geographic Traveler contest: it was then recognized as the best “Recreation holiday destination” outrunning Israel and Vietnam.

UK: Monarch Positive On 2016 Despite Delayed Bookings

British airline and travel group Monarch expects demand to grow next year, even though customers were delaying decisions on where to go because of security concerns.

Privately-held Monarch said it expected to report annual underlying earnings (EBIT) of more than GBP£40 million (USD$60 million) for the year ended October 31, after a turnaround plan helped it recover from last year's GBP£94 million loss.

Monarch, which competes with the likes of Thomas Cook and TUI, said in a statement that further progress was expected this year, calling the outlook for the winter good. "We do expect 2016 to be better than 2015," chief executive Andrew Swaffield told reporters.

The company's financial recovery comes despite Monarch being forced to cancel flights and packages in Tunisia and Egypt this year after the British government raised concerns over safety in the wake of attacks.

London Luton-based Monarch sells holidays and flights primarily to British holiday-makers travelling to destinations such as Spain, Italy and France. Since being acquired by Greybull Capital in 2014, it has focussed on cutting costs by shedding staff and ending loss-making routes.

Swaffield said the halting of holidays to Egypt's Sharm al-Sheikh resort and the Islamist militant attacks in Paris, both last month, meant customers were booking later, in line with what travel companies usually see after such incidents.

"There's an initial lack of bookings and then people get back to normal, but they don't book as far in advance as they normally do," he said.

That was in line with what other airlines such as easyJet have reported in relation to the attacks.

Monarch said in the absence of Tunisia and Egypt as destinations, its customers were booking flights to places such as the Eilat resort in Israel, adding mainland Spain and the Canary Islands were also popular.

British airlines and travel companies are waiting for the UK government to confirm it is safe to fly to Sharm al-Sheikh again. Monarch has cancelled its programme there until January 6.

ISRAEL: Pilot Fails To Turn On AC, 4 Passengers Faint

Young Israeli passengers stand next to their Polish airline plane after they were stranded inside with no air conditioning during a heat wave,

Passengers stranded on powerless plane in heat wave.

Young Israeli travelers en route to Poland found themselves stuck inside a plane at Ben Gurion International Airport for two hours on Monday with no air conditioning, in the throes of a punishing heat wave. Four people on the plane fainted as the temperatures soared.

Four people faint after Enter Air flight to Poland is delayed at Ben Gurion Airport, and pilot cannot turn on air conditioning.

The dozens of Israeli teens were on their way to a week-long visit in Poland, but after boarding, the plane belonging to Polish carrier Enter Air failed to take off when a malfunction prevented the pilot from starting the engine and apparently the ventilation system too.

“People just couldn’t breathe. Some girls fainted. They asked the crew for water, but the crew didn’t do anything,” Alon Peltz, a passenger on the plane, told Israel’s Ynet website.

At some point, the pilot opened the door and “some kids stood on the stairs to breathe. Then everyone just left the plane and stood on the tarmac nearby,” said Peltz. She said one of the girls who fainted was evacuated by ambulance for treatment, but returned to the plane after feeling better.

“People wanted to go to the bathroom,” Peltz said. “They were dehydrated and no one cared. Police came here with a manager from the airport and they took us to the bathroom in the terminal. Then they told us we had to return to the plane because it was taking off.”

Representatives of Enter Air said the flight’s departure time had been moved up, but the plane had landed at the airport too late and missed its spot.

The departure was further delayed by the malfunction, company officials told Ynet. The company acknowledged that the plane had been grounded without air conditioning, but said the ground staff at the airport did not instruct the crew to evacuate it even when it became clear that there was a technical malfunction.

In a separate incident on Monday, an El Al plane en route from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv had to make an emergency landing in Vienna when a member of the crew fell ill.

The flight attendant began to feel unwell after takeoff, and left the plane in Vienna in order to receive medical treatment. The plane and its 345 passengers continued on their way to Tel Aviv.

JORDAN: Dead Sea Dying Slowly

The Dead Sea, occupied West Bank - On the Dead Sea's coast in the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers, Palestinians and tourists make the downhill trek from the former waterline to its new resting place.

The Dead Sea, a unique body of water marked by mineral-rich, unusually salty water - nearly 10 times saltier than the world's oceans - is dying. Its water level is dropping by roughly one metre each year.

"We think that the current situation is an ecological disaster," said Gidon Bromberg, director of EcoPeace Middle East (EPME), an organisation that brings together Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian environmentalists to protect their shared environmental heritage.

"It's unacceptable: The unique ecosystem is in severe danger, threatening biodiversity, and you see dramatic sinkholes opening up along the shore," Bromberg said, referring to the large, unpredictable cavities that have appeared recently. Some are so cavernous that they swallow entire structures.

The two main reasons for the dropping water level are mineral extraction by Israeli and Jordanian companies in the artificially shallow southern basin, and the fact that 95 percent of the Jordan River - the Dead Sea's main source of replenishing water - is being diverted. The river used to provide 1,350 million cubic metres of water each year (mcm), but that flow has dwindled to just 20 mcm.

Israel, Jordan, and the occupied West Bank all border the Dead Sea, and have taken steps to deal with its disappearance. The first concrete plan was signed in 2005, when all three parties signed a letter to the World Bank that allowed the international financial institution to investigate the feasibility of a $10bn project to pump 850 mcm of water from Jordan's section of the Red Sea to a desalination plant at the southern end of the Dead Sea.

The 2,000 mcm of ultra-saline brine that results from the desalination process would then be pumped to the Dead Sea over the course of 40 years. Bromberg said EPME was unable to support this project, because the "environmental impact was unknowable".

A main concern for environmental groups has been the effect that introducing such high volumes of foreign brine water would have on the Dead Sea's unique ecosystem, which features unique bacterial and fungal life forms.

After years of consultations involving government officials and civil society groups, including EPME, the original project was put on hold. However, the parties continued negotiations, and in February, a final agreement emerged: a $950m "pilot programme" water-sharing arrangement, in which Jordan will construct a desalination plant near Aqaba, on the coast of the Red Sea.

The scheme will produce about 85 mcm of fresh water a year. Up to 50 mcm will be sold to the southern Israeli resort city of Eilat, leaving about 35 mcm for use in Aqaba city. As part of the agreement, Israel will sell another 50 mcm of freshwater to Amman from the Sea of Galilee.

EPME supports the new water change agreement between Israel and Jordan. Bromberg said that this much smaller project "will have manageable environmental impacts that make a lot more sense". However, EPME does not support the deal’s proposed pipeline that will pump desalinated water to the Dead Sea from Aqaba, saying the projected cost of $400m is “not realistic” and would only halt the drop in the Dead Sea's water level by about 10 percent, without addressing related environmental concerns.

Jordan, as one of the world's most water-scarce countries, stands to gain from the agreement. But the Palestinian Authority (PA), the governing body of the occupied West Bank, was left out. Israel and Jordan are approaching the new arrangement bilaterally.

The PA is awaiting negotiations with Israel on a separate agreement, in which Israel would sell another 20-30 mcm a year to the West Bank.

Clemens Messerschmid, a German hydrogeologist who has been working on water projects in the Gaza Strip and West Bank since 1997, said that these agreements were nothing more than an attempt by Israel to cement the current status quo, in which it controls water extraction from the occupied territories and the Jordan River basin then sells this water back to Palestinians.

"Palestinians, by default, are the real loser of these agreements, whether the 'pilot programmes' or the $10bn World Bank scheme," Messerschmid said.

Israel became a water-surplus country in 2013. Often, programmes encouraging conservation and recycling of waste water are cited as the reason for Israel's water surplus, but Messerschmid said the overwhelming majority of the surplus comes from the five desalination plants constructed along Israel's Mediterranean coast.

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics says that roughly 100 mcm of water are extracted for use in the occupied territories from their own resources, namely aquifers in the West Bank, every year. The West Bank's yearly water need is 400-450 mcm, leaving a gap that must be filled by purchasing water from Israel.

"Under international law, Palestinians in the West Bank have the right to access the water of the Jordan River, but they haven't seen a drop since 1967," Messerschmid stated. "Furthermore, Israel doesn't allow them access to more than microscopic amounts from the local mountain aquifer sources."

The Eastern Mountain Aquifer sits almost entirely within the West Bank, and has no inflows or outflows to or from Israel. However, according to Ayman Rabi, director of the Palestinian Hydrology Group (PHG), this aquifer has been pumped nearly dry by Israeli settlers living in the West Bank, and has "no more potential" for water extraction.

"I would say that the situation in the West Bank is worse than ever before, with water access and availability at dire levels," Rabi said.

Both Rabi and Bromberg were hopeful about one aspect of the new water reality in the region: Israel's water surplus should make negotiations on Palestinian water rights easier.

"Five years ago, had you wanted to share the water more fairly, Israeli farmers would have blocked every road. With this surplus, natural water can be shared more fairly," Bromberg said.

As for the Dead Sea, Bromberg predicted that it will "never completely dry up". Surrounding springs will continue to replenish some of the water, but the current water level of 417 metres below sea level could fall to more than 700 metres below sea level in the coming years. The reduced water level could even more seriously endanger biodiversity.

Messerschmid, meanwhile, believes that the uproar over the Dead Sea's water needs pales in comparison to the water needs of the Palestinians. "These are real people, with real concerns regarding access to water; 4.6 million Palestinians have been held hostage to Israel's hydro-apartheid for half a century," he said.

"Their rights should be held above that of the bacteria at the bottom of the Dead Sea."