Several international airlines have cancelled or reduced flights to Tel Aviv amid concerns of a multi-front war in the Middle East following Iran-Israel tensions. Violence in Gaza has claimed nearly 40,000 lives and has also affected neighbouring countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan.
This has resulted in thousands of people being stranded in Israel and elsewhere, or seeking alternative routes to get home (often at great expense).
Airlines – including Air India, which last week said it was suspending all services to Israel “in view of the ongoing situation in parts of the Middle East” – are in a wait-and-watch mode while they assess security levels and risks to aircraft, crew and passengers.
Nearly a dozen airlines, including Air India and United Airlines, have so far cancelled or reduced flights. United has suspended all flights indefinitely, while Air India has done so until Thursday.
Read | Air India suspends flights to Israel amid rising tensions in Middle East
Germany’s Lufthansa Group – one of the world’s largest airlines – has suspended all flights, passenger and cargo, to Tel Aviv until Thursday.
This is a list of international airlines that have cancelled or reduced flights to and/or from Israel.
Italian airline ITA Due to geopolitical developments in the Middle East and to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, flights to and from the Israeli capital have been suspended.
The flights have been postponed till Tuesday.
German Airlines Company Lufthansa Group and its subsidiaries, including Swiss International Airlines of Switzerlandhas cancelled all passenger and cargo flights to and from Tel Aviv.
The cancellation will remain in effect until Thursday, after which it will be reviewed.
“The reason for this is current developments in the region,” a Lufthansa spokesman said.
Swiss International has suspended flights from Zurich to Tel Aviv (again, until Thursday) and Beirut (in Lebanon, until next Monday), a company spokesman said.
Services to and from the United States have also been affected. Delta, United AirlinesAnd American Airlines Apart from this, flights have also been stopped till further notice.
Greece’s flagship aviator (Aegean Air) and Poland (Very), as well as the budget Hungarian airline Wizz AirAegean and LOT have also suspended flights until Tuesday and Friday.
Wizz Air said it was cancelling flights until Sunday; it is unclear when services have resumed.
The lead ship of the Netherlands, KLM Airlineshas halted flights until Tuesday.
The three largest airlines in Spain are: Iberia Express, VuelingAnd Air Europa – has also temporarily suspended flights. Iberia Express and Vueling have resumed flights from this morning. Air Europa services will remain suspended until Wednesday.
Airlines in several European countries, including Belgium and Croatia, have made similar announcements. And this is not just limited to foreign services.
israeli low cost airlines Arkia Czech Republic airlines struggled to repatriate hundreds of passengers stranded in Prague after foreign crew on one of its planes refused to fly to Tel Aviv.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated as Iran and Hamas, along with Hezbollah, vowed to avenge the killing of their leaders, which has been blamed on Israel.
Read | Iran may attack Israel today, Netanyahu is already eyeing the attack
Tel Aviv has been accused of assassinating Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran, just hours after Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr was killed in Beirut, Lebanon.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reportedly warned global leaders that an attack against Israel by Iran and Hezbollah could be launched at any time. The Benjamin Netanyahu-led government could approve a pre-emptive strike, the Times of Israel reported.
Read | Fear of war in Middle East as Iran-Israel conflict escalates: 10 facts
Concerns have risen dramatically, as months of cross-border clashes risk escalating into a full-scale conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. The two adversaries last clashed in 2006, with Israel bombing Lebanon’s only passenger airport in Beirut.
Given the gravity of the current situation, several embassies, including India’s, have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon, while few commercial flights are available. Several countries, including the US and the United Kingdom, have issued similar warnings to their citizens.
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