AIDA cuts Israel port calls after missile near miss
AIDA Cruises said it will suspend scheduled port calls in Israel for the next two months, following the AIDAdiva ship’s close encounter with the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict earlier this week.
On Monday as the ship left the port of Ashdod, shrapnel thought to be from a missile landed on the cruise ship’s deck.
No damage or injuries were reported to the 2,700 passengers and crew members.
The cruise line said the debris which "may have come from defense missiles," was examined by experts and then removed by crewmembers.
Guests on board were informed of the close call and the ship continued on its scheduled journey and is due to dock in Crete today.
"We are very sorry that guests of AIDAdiva were witnesses to this incident," said Hansjorg Kunze, vice president of communications for the Carnival Corp-owned line.
"We assure all our guests that for AIDA Cruises safety of guests and crew is our top priority at all times."
Kunze said the company keeps abreast of the security situation in the region, saying that Germany – where AIDA is based – does not currently have any travel warnings for the Ashod area.
For July and August itineraries, ships that had scheduled calls in Ashod will instead call at Santorini, Greece.
All guests booked for one of these cruises will be contacted immediately by AIDA staff.
Israeli national airline El Al also announced yesterday it would waive any change fees until the end of next week for passengers who wish to cancel or postpone flights due to the security situation.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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