Aqaba Airport Chaos: Jordan Cancels Arkia Flights, Hundreds of Israelis Stranded

Arkia announced at midday (Sunday) that it is halting all of its air operations out of Jordan. The decision will take effect later today, after Jordanian authorities this morning unexpectedly announced a policy change.

Following the decision, Arkia announced changes to flight operations from Aqaba, including splitting flights, transfers between airports, and cancellations. According to the announcement, passengers on the Aqaba–Bangkok flight had already begun check-in when it was decided to split them into two separate groups—each continuing to its destination via a different routing through Larnaca.

The first group is expected to depart on flight R5 2451 at 2:30 p.m. (local time) to Larnaca, and from there continue to Bangkok on connecting flight HFM591, departing at 3:45 p.m. At the same time, the second group will leave on another Aqaba–Larnaca flight—R5 2453—at 6:30 p.m., and from there depart to Bangkok on connecting flight BGB591 at 11:00 p.m.

Alongside the changes to the Bangkok route, the company also announced that passengers on flight FL1217 from Aqaba to Athens will be transferred to the airport in Taba. To that end, buses and Arkia representatives were stationed at the exit from the terminal in Aqaba, and passengers will be driven to Taba, from where departure is expected at 5:00 p.m.

At the same time, some flights were canceled outright. Flight FL1728 from Aqaba to Budapest was canceled, and passengers who had already arrived at the airport will be shuttled back to the border crossing. Flight FL1337 from Aqaba to Rome, scheduled for 9:20 p.m., was also canceled—and passengers were asked not to come to the border crossing at all.

Earlier, Arkia announced the cancellation of several flights that had been scheduled to depart from Aqaba Airport to various destinations, following an immediate policy change by the Jordanian authorities. As a result, hundreds of Israelis were left stranded at Aqaba Airport, with no solution and no clear information about their next steps.

According to the company’s statement, the authorities in Jordan are not approving some of the flights operated with European aircraft, which led to a halt of part of Arkia’s operations being run as an alternative to Ben-Gurion Airport. Israel was surprised by the decision, especially given that these were flights planned and finalized in advance, and now professional and security officials on the Israeli side are holding talks with their Jordanian counterparts in an effort to reach an immediate solution.

Arkia said: "Following the immediate and unexpected policy change, and in the absence of real-time regulatory approvals, several flights scheduled to depart from Aqaba Airport are not authorized to operate. As a result, Arkia is forced to cancel some flights from this airport until further notice." The company added that some operations will be moved to Taba Airport, subject to operational possibilities and required approvals, and stressed that efforts are underway to resume activity as soon as possible.

An Israeli whose flight was canceled told N12: "There is no Arkia representative or any other Israeli representation here; there is no water or food. People, in complete despair, are sitting on the floor and children are crying. The original flight was to Bangkok and had already been postponed several times. People lost thousands of dollars on connecting flights and hotels. I contacted the Foreign Ministry’s command center, and they don’t know how to help."

The company apologized for the situation and emphasized that the circumstances are beyond its responsibility: "The company apologizes to its customers for the inconvenience and stresses that these are decisions beyond its control, in a particularly challenging period for the aviation industry." Arkia clarified that it will update passengers on an ongoing basis about flight status as new approvals are received.