Last Updated: October 10, 2023, 23:57 IST
Israel-Palestine war: Visuals from Gaza.
Israel-Palestine War: American Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates and Ryanair are among those pulling flights to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport
Israel-Palestine War: Several major international airlines have suspended or scaled back flights to or from Tel Aviv after a surprise rocket attack by Hamas terrorists over the weekend amid a threat of escalating conflict which has raised safety concerns for the passengers and the crew.
American Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates and Ryanair are among those pulling flights to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport.
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According to Flightradar24, a website that tracks flights across the world reported that about 50% of scheduled Tel Aviv flights did not operate on Sunday and a third were cancelled on Monday amid the Israel-Palestine war.
Air India Flight to Israel Cancelled
Air India has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv till October 14 amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. The airline on Tuesday announced a one-time waiver of charges for rescheduling or cancellation of confirmed tickets.
In a post on social media platform X on Tuesday, the carrier said it is offering a one-time waiver on charges for rescheduling or cancellation of confirmed tickets on flights to and from Tel Aviv.
“The offer is valid on tickets issued before 9th October for travel until 31st October 2023,” it said.
Delta and United Airline
Major US airline Delta on Monday said it was cancelling all flights to Israel until the end of the month after the shock attack by Hamas militants.
“As Delta continues monitoring events in the region, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our Tel Aviv flights through Oct. 31, 2023,” the company said.
Apart from that, United Airlines and American Airlines have also suspended direct flights to Tel Aviv after United ran two flights to the US from Israel late on Saturday and early on Sunday but then suspended services “until conditions allow them to resume”.
Air Canada
Air Canada also announced that it was cancelling flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice. The carrier said on Monday it would resume the route “as soon as the situation stabilizes”.
Hainan and Cathay Pacific Airlines
Hainan Airlines, the only Chinese airline to fly between China and Israel, cancelled flights between Tel Aviv and Shanghai on Monday while Cathay Pacific cancelled its Tuesday and Thursday flights between Hong Kong and Tel Aviv and said it would provide further updates regarding its next scheduled service later.
Lufthansa Airlines
German airline Lufthansa on Saturday said it was cutting flights to Israel following after Israel-Palestine War, a spokesman told AFP.
“Given the current security situation in Tel Aviv,” Lufthansa will maintain a single flight to Frankfurt but “all other Lufthansa flights to and from Tel Aviv have been cancelled for this Saturday”.
Emirates and Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways cancelled flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv on Monday and Tuesday while Gulf Air cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until October 14.
El Al Airways Remains Operational
Israeli flag carrier El Al on Sunday said that it was maintaining its Tel Aviv flights for now, though some flights operated by foreign partners had been cancelled.
El Al said it was operating “in accordance with the instructions of the Israeli security forces”, with all flights now departing only from Terminal Three at Ben Gurion.