Major airlines have halted flights into and out of Israel following the country’s declaration of war in response to a huge Hamas onslaught.
More than 1,000 targets were struck by Israel in Gaza, as Palestinian insurgents continued to launch barrages of rockets, setting off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv appeared to have a cloud of smoke in a video that was released online.
The online flight board for the airport, which likewise displayed a constant stream of planes, indicated that a significant number of arriving and departing aircraft at Ben Gurion were either canceled or delayed. Most were run by Israel’s national airline El Al, while some were by smaller regional airlines including Pegasus Airlines in Turkey and Blue Bird Airways in Greece.
Due to the U.S. State Department issuing travel advisories for the area due to the possibility of terrorism and civil disturbance, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines have ceased operations.
Through Friday, American has halted its service to Tel Aviv. The airline claimed to have sent a travel notice that gives customers with impacted travel plans more options.
United claimed that it accommodated its passengers, crew members, and staff members who were at the airport by allowing two scheduled planes to depart Tel Aviv late on Saturday and early on Sunday. The airline announced that until the situation becomes better, all flights to Tel Aviv will be canceled.
Through October 31, according to Delta, all flights to Tel Aviv have been canceled. The airline claimed that it is keeping an eye on the issue and adjusting its timetable as necessary.
Customers with canceled flights or those wishing to modify their Tel Aviv ticket, the airline advised, can check the Delta app, or website, or call Delta Reservations to make the necessary changes.
In the midst of the fighting, airlines in Europe and Asia also postponed flights while giving passengers refunds and waiving rebooking fees.
After consulting with French and Israeli authorities, Air France said that it had halted operations to Tel Aviv “until further notice.”
Germany’s Lufthansa said Monday that the decision to touch its planes and those of its subsidiaries was made “due to the still unclear developing security situation in Israel and after an intensive analysis of the situation.” The airline has banned flights to and from Tel Aviv until Saturday.
Along with Lufthansa itself, the Lufthansa Group also consists of Austrian Airlines, Swiss, and Brussels Airlines.
The primary airline serving Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Airways, announced that it was canceling its Tuesday and Thursday flights to Tel Aviv “in light of the most recent situation in Israel.”
On Monday, Tuesday, and a portion of Wednesday, Virgin Atlantic suspended service between London’s Heathrow Airport and Tel Aviv.
All flights to and from Tel Aviv have been canceled by low-cost carrier Wizz Air, which operates flights to Israel from Abu Dhabi and more than two dozen other European airports, “until further notice.”
EasyJet, a bargain airline based in the United Kingdom, announced that it would postpone its Monday flights from Manchester and London Luton airports to Tel Aviv “due to the evolving situation in Israel” and “temporarily pause operations.”
According to British Airways, it will still run flights to Israel “over the coming days with adjusted departure times.”
Flights to Tel Aviv are being canceled, according to Dutch airline KLM, “until and including Wednesday.”
