Palestinian Airlines took to the skies for the first time in seven years this week. The airlines had been grounded by deepening enmities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The 15-year old airline runs a small operation, but it holds a lot of symbolism for Palestinians and their dreams of a Palestinian statehood. The airline is made up of only two 48-seat turboprop planes, with two weekly flights and a borrowed hub in Egypt. The airline's profits are tied to the dream of having a Palestinian state.
The news of the airline being back up and running brings a lot of joy to those in Palestine.
Zuhair Mohammed, 38, a teacher from Gaza told the Associated Press, "My hands were shaking when I bought the ticket ... and it said the name of the carrier is Palestinian Airlines."
The Palestinians were on the verge of a statehood deal with Israel in the late 1990's. Palestinian Airlines began, flying tens of thousands of passengers from Gaza International Airport to Middle Eastern destinations. They planned to expand to Europe, but those plans were soon halted.
In September 2000, several Palestinian uprisings against Israeli occupation took place after the collapse of US-led peace talks. The Gaza airport was destroyed by Israeli troops, forcing the airlines to move to El Arish in Egypt, about 37 miles away from Gaza. The airline lost customers and stopped flying altogether, until now.
Twenty-seven passengers flew on Sunday on the first returning Amman-El Arish flight. Fourty-four were scheduled to fly on the return flight later in the day. According to regional director Azmi Samaan, the airline does not have permission to fly over Israeli air space, so the flight takes an hour and 35 minutes, which is twice the amount of time that it would take for a direct flight over Israel.
The airline plans to begin flights to Saudi Arabia for pilgrims from Gaza later this week. Routes to the UAE and Turkey are also being planned for the future.
Palestinians are happy to be able to use the airline, but there are still some concerns. Mustafa Abu Dan, a Palestinian civil servant, bought four tickets at a Gaza City travel agency for a flight to Amman. He told the Associated Press,"Rafah is the only gate for us to the world now, but still it's linked to the political developments in Egypt," said Abu Dan, 32. "I voice my hope to have our own airport again so we can travel without problems, like others."
The airline wants to eventually make profits, but national pride and simply having the option to use the airline again is enough for Palestinians now.
"We want the Palestinian flag to continue flying," he said. "This is part of the independent state, to have an airline, no matter what it will cost us," said Mr. Samaan.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
