Multiple airlines going to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, cancelled or reduced flights as a safety measure following the October 7 attacks by Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers on Israel.
Amid the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, Hamas executed a coordinated multi-front attack at dawn, firing thousands of rockets and infiltrating the heavily fortified border by air, land, and sea, catching Israel off guard.
Around half of the scheduled flights did not operate on the day following the attack, Sunday, October 8, and a third remained cancelled as of Monday, October 9.
Following the attack, flights bound for Tel Aviv, Israel, rerouted to Larnaca Airport in Cyprus, including Ryanair and a United Airlines Boeing 777 from San Francisco.
We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and are in touch with the relevant authorities.
Several airlines, such as Wizz Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Air India, Turkish Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Egypt Air, Air Canada, Emirates, Air France, Dutch carrier KLM, Germany’s Lufthansa, Finland’s Finnair, Norwegian Air, Portugal’s TAP, and Polish carrier LOT, along with the Lufthansa Group (comprising SWISS, Brussels Airlines, and Austrian Airlines), either cancelled or reduced flights to Tel Aviv’s international airport, Ben Gurion Airport.
The tour operator, TUI fly Belgium, also suspended its flights to Tel Aviv, Israel’s sole destination, until October 21.
While Russia banned night flights to Israel, aviation authorities such as the US Federal Aviation Authority, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, and Israel’s own aviation authority cautioned airlines about flying in Israeli airspace but did not suspend flights.
In response to what Russia terms an “unstable political and military situation,” it specifically advised airlines to exercise vigilance during daylight hours, consequently imposing flight restrictions to Israel before 09:00 GMT, reported Al Jazeera.
In addition, Israel’s aviation authority adjusted air traffic routes, urged airlines to review security information, cautioned of potential delays, and recommended that airlines flying to Israel carry extra fuel as a precautionary measure.
While British Airways intends to maintain its flights to Israel with adjusted departure times, easyJet from the UK has temporarily suspended flights to Tel Aviv on October 8 and 9.
Other countries like China, Hong Kong, and South Korea cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv.
The safety of our passengers and crew are our top priority. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely.
Currently, all scheduled flights are departing exclusively from Terminal Three at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, following the guidance provided by Israeli security authorities, announced Israel’s national carrier EI AI.
