Atlasjet has begun operating indirect charter flights for religious pilgrims from Nigeria to Israel with a stopover in Antalya. The new route is allowed under a new flight agreement between Israel and Nigeria allowing regular direct flights between the two countries.
Although Israel security services has forbidden El Al from flying to and from Nigeria due to fears of potential terror attacks originating there, the Shin Bet security service has now confirmed that Israeli airlines could fly from Nigeria in accordance with security measures determined by the service. "In general, the Shin Bet does not oppose pilgrims' flights to Israel should these flights meet the conditions set by the designated authorities," the Shin Bet said in a statement.
Nigerian pilgrims are used to flying to Turkey to transfer to Israel on Turkish carriers, although Israeli airlines cannot fly to Turkey since Turkish authorities have refused to accede to Israeli security requirements. The imbalance has caused El Al CEO Elyezer Shkedy to request Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intervene to gain access for Israeli airlines to fly to Turkey or retaliate by restricting the amount of Turkish airlines' flights to Israel.