Lufthansa, Delta among several airlines to cancel Israel flights
The region is on edge following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and Israel’s assassination of a Hezbollah military leader in Lebanon.
Delta, United and Lufthansa have suspended flights to Tel Aviv as the region braces for a possible Iranian attack on Israel following the twin assassinations this week of Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
A spokesperson for Lufthansa told Al-Monitor that passenger and cargo flights to Tel Aviv will be “temporarily suspending” from Thursday evening through Aug. 8. The German airline also extended its cancellation of Beirut flights through Aug. 12. The spokesperson cited “current developments” for the move.
Lufthansa previously halted flights to and from Beirut for a month starting in early July.
A Wednesday-Thursday overnight Lufthansa flight route was altered after the receipt of a Notice to Airmen for Iranian airspace for Thursday morning local time. A flight from Munich to Tel Aviv returned to the former after a scheduled stopover in Cyprus’ Larnaca after the airline’s safety assessment. The return flight from Tel Aviv to Munich was canceled, according to the spokesperson.
An Austrian Airlines flight also diverted to Sofia, Bulgaria, the spokesperson said. Austrian Airlines is part of Lufthansa Group.
United Airlines has canceled its daily flights to Tel Aviv for an undetermined amount of time.
"We have suspended for security reasons our daily Tel Aviv service as we evaluate our next steps,” a spokesperson told Al-Monitor on Thursday. “We continue to closely monitor the situation and will make decisions on resuming service with a focus on the safety of our customers and crews.”
Delta Airlines announced on Wednesday that flights between Tel Aviv and New York’s JFK airport will be paused through Friday. The US carrier has not said whether the flights will be suspended beyond that.
“Delta continues to monitor the situation and will provide updates as warranted,” a spokesperson told Al-Monitor on Thursday.
The Times of India reported that Air India canceled its New Delhi-Tel Aviv service on Thursday. The next scheduled flight is on Sunday, according to the outlet.
Why it matters: The airlines’ decisions follow two major escalations in the Middle East. Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran on Wednesday. Hamas blames Israel for his death, though Israel has not commented.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military killed senior Hezbollah official Fuad Shukr in Beirut. Shukr was a military adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a member of the group’s Jihad Council.
Both Iran and Hezbollah have vowed retaliation.
Know more: Air France said on Wednesday that its suspension of flights to Beirut would be extended until Saturday, Agence France-Presse reported.
Emirates said on Wednesday it would not accept customers transiting through Dubai to Beirut on Thursday and Friday. Other airlines to cancel flights to Beirut in the past week include Greece’s Aegean Airlines and Germany’s Condor, according to the outlet.
Spokespeople for flydubai and British Airways told Al-Monitor on Thursday that they are still operating daily flights to Tel Aviv. Israeli news outlets had previously reported that the airlines were among those to cancel flights.
Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in nearly non-stop exchanges of fire since the start of the Gaza war in October. The situation escalated following a rocket attack that killed 12 children in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights on Saturday. Israel blames Hezbollah for the attack, though the group denied responsibility.
Numerous international airlines canceled flights to Israel following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and start of the Gaza war, as well as in April due to Iran’s strikes against the country.
