Israel-Hamas war: Several airlines suspend flights to Tel Aviv amid attack on Israel

Major international air carriers have suspended or cancelled flight services in and out of the Israeli city of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport after Hamas launched its surprise attack over the weekend and said that they are waiting for safety conditions to improve.

According to a report by flight tracking website, Flightradar24, about 50 per cent of the flights scheduled for Tel Aviv did not operate on Sunday (Oct 8) and one-third of the flights were cancelled on Monday as of 6:41 pm (local time).

What have the airlines said?

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Indian air carrier Air India said that it would suspend the flights operating to and from Tel Aviv till at least October 14, “for the safety of our passengers and crew,” said the airline’s spokesperson, in a statement.

It added that they will provide all possible support to passengers who have confirmed bookings which have now been cancelled.

Meanwhile, American air carriers United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines, on Sunday, suspended direct flights to Israel following an advisory by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) urging airlines to use caution.

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Additionally, multiple European airlines including Ryanair and Norwegian Air have cancelled their flights from Copenhagen and Stockholm to Tel Aviv for this week.

Air France, Lufthansa, and Emirates have also suspended direct flights to the international airport in Tel Aviv.

Britain’s easyJet also halted flights to Tel Aviv on Sunday and Monday and said that it would adjust timings over the next few days.

Hungarian budget carrier Wizz Air has cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.

Virgin Atlantic said it would continue to run some flights in and out of Tel Aviv but customers could rebook or request a refund until October 15.

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Other airlines suspending flights included Aegean, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, and Air Canada.

What about Israel’s national carrier?

Israel’s flag carrier El Al being the exception, on Sunday said that it would maintain its Tel Aviv flights for now while some flights operated by foreign partners had been cancelled.

The airline said that it was operating “in accordance with the instructions of the Israeli security forces,” and all flights are now departing only from one terminal at the Ben Gurion airport.

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FAA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and Israel’s aviation authority urged airlines to use caution while operating in the region’s airspace. Meanwhile, Israeli airport authority said Ben Gurion continued to handle arrivals and departures, as of Monday (Oct 9).

(With inputs from agencies)

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