Norwegian Cruise Line scrapping Israel voyages in 2024 due to war with Hamas
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings says it's scrapping visits to Israel well into next year.
The Miami-based company revealed Wednesday morning that it was "in the process of cancelling (sic) all calls to Israel in 2024" as it put out its 2023 third-quarter earnings report. It said the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group led it to do so.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has gone on for about 3.5 weeks so far, having begun with the latter attacking the other in early October.
Norwegian Cruise Line "will continue to closely monitor and evaluate future sailings and adjust as needed," according to its earnings release.
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Stops to Israel and "certain calls to the surrounding region" that had been planned for the last few months of this year have already been changed, according to the cruise line. For those, the company either called them off or switched to other destinations.
Norwegian pegged its pre-conflict capacity for visits to the Middle East at roughly 7% in 2023’s fourth quarter and 4% in 2024.
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In its latest full-year forecast offered Wednesday, the company said it will see $1.86 billion worth of adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. In terms of adjusted earnings per share, it estimated $0.73.
Its 12-months forward booked position was "within its optimal" range, Norwegian said, reporting a balance of $3.1 billion for advanced ticket sales. The company also told investors that its Hawaiian offerings were "approaching normalized levels" after seeing its itineraries briefly paused and a temporary decline in demand post-Maui wildfires.
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The company and its three brands currently have a total of 31 cruise liners.
Israeli ground operations have picked up in recent days, according to Fox News Digital.
As of Wednesday, there have been a total of 9,900 deaths since the war’s start. Those include some 1,400 Israelis and more than 8,200 Palestinians, the outlet reported.