Airlines extend suspensions of Middle East flights

Several major European airlines have extended their suspension of flights to Israel and other parts of the Middle East due to the security situation.

Many carriers had already suspended services to Tel Aviv, as well as to neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan because of rising tensions and fears of a wider conflict in the region. 

Lufthansa Group, which also owns Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Swiss and Eurowings, has now suspended all flights to Amman, Beirut, Erbil, Tehran and Tel Aviv up to and including next Wednesday (21 August).

“Based on its current security analysis, Lufthansa Group is again adjusting its services to the Middle East,” said the company in a statement. “Lufthansa is offering passengers affected by the suspension the option of rebooking or cancelling their flight free of charge.”

Budget carrier Ryanair has cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv up to 28 August “due to operational restrictions which are beyond our control”. While Air France and subsidiary Transavia have cancelled flights to Beirut up to Wednesday (14 August).

US carrier United Airlines has also suspended services to Israel for the foreseeable future due to the ongoing security situation.

Several carriers continue to operate flights to Tel Aviv, including Israeli airline El Al and British Airways from London Heathrow. Wizz Air has also resumed services to Israel in recent days.

In April, EasyJet suspended all flights to and from Israel until the end of the current summer 2024 schedule on 27 October. KLM has also cancelled all Tel Aviv services until 26 October.