Airline companies from the U.S., Netherlands, India, U.K., Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, France, and Poland have announced that they are canceling some flights to Israel and Lebanon for security reasons following recent developments in the Middle East.
Following the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran is expected to retaliate against Israel, affecting the flight operations of airlines in the region.
United and Delta Airlines Make Changes to Israel Flights
Due to the growing security crisis in the Middle East, United Airlines, which operates 14 weekly flights between New York and Israel, has suspended its flights to Israel until August 6.
Delta Airlines has suspended its flights to Israel until August 2, and British Airways (BA), one of the leading airlines in the U.K., also canceled yesterday’s flights to the country.
Swiss Air Suspends Zurich-Tel Aviv Flights
Swiss International Air Lines (Swiss) has halted flights between Zurich and Tel Aviv due to recent developments in the Middle East.
Flights between Zurich and Tel Aviv are suspended until August 8 for “the safety of crew and passengers,” while the suspension of flights between Zurich and Beirut has been extended until August 12.
Lufthansa Halts Flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv
German airline Lufthansa has suspended flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv for security reasons.
In a statement from the airline, it was announced that flights to Tel Aviv would be suspended until August 8, and the previous decision not to fly to Beirut was extended until August 12.
The worsening security situation in the region was cited as the reason for the decision, and it was stated that the situation on the ground would be monitored for resuming flights.
Air India Suspends Flights to Tel Aviv
Indian airline Air India has decided to suspend flights to and from Tel Aviv due to developments in the Middle East.
In a statement from the airline, it was mentioned, “Considering the ongoing situation in some parts of the Middle East, we have suspended our flights to Tel Aviv until August 8.”
ITA Suspends Tel Aviv Flights Until August 6
In a statement on ITA’s X account, Italy’s flag carrier airline announced that flights to and from Tel Aviv are suspended until August 6.
The decision was made citing “developments in the Middle East and the safety of passengers and crew.”
LOT suspended Lebanon and Israel flights for 2 days
According to Poland’s news agency PAP, Poland’s national airline, LOT, canceled 8 flights planned to Lebanon and Israel on August 3-4 for security reasons.
Dutch Royal Airline KLM also announced the cancellation of its Israel flights until October 26.
Air France also suspended Beirut flights for 2 days
Among the airlines that suspended their flights to Lebanon’s capital Beirut are Greece’s Aegean Airlines and Germany’s Condor Airlines.
Aegean and Condor Airlines had announced the suspension of their flights from Athens to Beirut until August 1 due to rising tensions in the Middle East.
Air France had also announced the suspension of its flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Beirut airports for 2 days.
Singapore Airlines will not use Iranian airspace
In a statement from Singapore Airlines (SIA), it was mentioned that due to rising tensions in the Middle East, Iranian airspace will not be used in flights and alternative routes will be sought.
In the statement, it was mentioned that flights to “Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, New York, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome, and Zurich” will be affected by this situation. “We will continue to closely monitor the situation in the Middle East and adjust our flight routes as necessary,” the statement added.
Ben Gurion Airport continues operations as usual
According to the Israeli press, the official website of Tel Aviv’s International Ben Gurion Airport crashed due to a temporary malfunction, while the airport continues its normal operations.
In a statement from the airport management, it was understood that the malfunction was due to the heavy traffic to the site and efforts were being made to resolve the issue.
“The airport is operating as usual,” the statement said, and following the official announcements of the airport administration was recommended.
