Air India Cancels Israel Flights. Which Other Airlines Have Also Stopped?

New Delhi:

Several international airlines unsettled by the threat of a multi-front war in the Middle East – following Iran-Israel tension, to add to the violence in Gaza, which has claimed nearly 40,00 lives and impacted neighbouring countries, like Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan, among other nations – have cancelled, or reduced, flights to and from Tel Aviv.

The result is thousands of people have been left stranded, in Israel and elsewhere, or are scrambling for alternate routes (often at great expense) to get home.

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 wait-and-watch mode while they assess safety levels and threats to aircraft, crew, and passengers.

Nearly a dozen airlines, including Air India and United Airlines, have cancelled or reduced flights till now. United has stopped all flights indefinitely, while Air India has done so till Thursday.

READ | Air India Suspends israel Flights Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions

One of the world’s biggest carrier conglomerates – Germany’s Lufthansa Group – has suspended all flights, passenger and cargo – to Tel Aviv, also till Thursday.

This is a list of international airlines that have cancelled, or cut, flights to and/or from Israel.

Italian airline ITA has halted flights to and from the Israeli capital “due to the geopolitical developments in the Middle East and to ensure safety of passengers and crew”.

Flights have been suspended till Tuesday.

German carrier Lufthansa Group and its subsidiaries, including Switzerland’s Swiss International Airlines, have cancelled all passenger and cargo flights to and from Tel Aviv.

This cancellation is effective till Thursday, when it will be reviewed.

“The reason for this is the current development in the region,” a Lufthansa spokesperson said.

Swiss International is suspending flights from Zurich to Tel Aviv (again, till Thursday) and to Beirut (in Lebanon, till Monday next), a company spokesperson said.

Services from the United States have also been affected, with Delta, United Airlines, and American Airlines also halting flights till further notice.

Flagship carriers of Greece (Aegean Air) and Poland (LOT), as well as budget Hungarian airline Wizz Air, followed suit. Aegean and LOT have paused flights till Tuesday and Friday.

Wizz Air had said it was cancelling flights till Sunday; it is unclear if services have resumed.

The Netherlands’ flagship, KLM Airlines, has stopped flights till Tuesday.

Spain’s three biggest carriers – Iberia Express, Vueling, and Air Europa – also briefly cancelled flights. As of this morning Iberia Express and Vueling have re-started flights. Air Europa’s services remain suspended till Wednesday.

Several other airlines from European nations, including Belgium and Croatia, have made similar announcements. And it isn’t just foreign services.

Israeli low-cost airline Arkia had to scramble to bring back hundreds of passengers stuck in Prague in Czechia after the foreign crew of one of its planes refused to fly to Tel Aviv.

Tensions in the Middle East have skyrocketed after Iran and the Hamas, with the Hezbollah, vowed revenge for the assassination of their leaders, which has been blamed on Israel.

READ | Iran Could Attack Israel Today, Netanyahu Eyes Preemptive Strike

Tel Aviv has been accused of assassinating Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in Iran, hours after reportedly killing Hezbollah’s military chief Fuad Shukr in Beirut in Lebanon.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reportedly warned global leaders that an attack by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel could commence at any time. The Times of Israel reported the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government could sanction a pre-emptive strike.

READ | Fear Of War In Middle East As Iran-Israel Conflict Widens: 10 Facts

Concerns have heightened dramatically, as months of cross-border skirmishes risk devolving into a full-scale conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. The two adversaries last engaged in a war in 2006, which saw Israel bombing Lebanon’s only passenger airport in Beirut.

The intensity of the current situation has led various embassies, including India’s, to urge their citizens to leave Lebanon while some commercial flights remain available. Multiple countries, including the US and the United Kingdom, have issued similar warnings to their citizens.

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