Airlines worldwide canceled flights to Israel and began avoiding a broad area of Middle Eastern airspace on Friday, following overnight missile strikes by Israel on Iran and a subsequent drone launch by Iran targeting Israel.
According to CNBC, Delta Air Lines announced Friday afternoon that it will suspend its flights to Tel Aviv until at least September—just a few weeks after restarting service on May 20. As recently as last week, the airline had planned to ramp up its New York–Tel Aviv route to two nonstop flights per day, citing “strong winter demand.”
United Airlines suspended its flights to Tel Aviv through at least Saturday. After Israel’s overnight strikes, both United and Delta turned their Tel Aviv-bound planes around mid-flight over the Atlantic, redirecting them back to the New York area. According to a spokesperson, United arranged for 26 crew members who had been on layover in Israel to return to the U.S. aboard Israel’s national carrier, El Al. However, El Al has since suspended its operations.
“Following recent security developments and in accordance with the instructions from the state’s security and aviation authorities to close Israeli airspace, all EL AL and Sundor flights are suspended for the time being,” the airline stated on its website. The company said it would not accept new bookings through at least the end of June and advised travelers not to come to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
“For customers currently abroad, we recommend arranging accommodation until there is a change in security directives,” the carrier said. “Flights that were en route to Israel have been diverted to land at various EL AL destinations.”
Other international carriers responded similarly. Turkish Airlines and low-cost European airline Wizz Air both suspended their Israel routes. Germany’s Lufthansa extended its pause on service to Tel Aviv and Tehran through July 31, while flights to Jordan and Lebanon are off the schedule until at least June 20. Emirates also cancelled its flights from Dubai to several Middle Eastern destinations, including Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran.
To accommodate affected travelers, many airlines are offering waivers for change fees and issuing travel vouchers.
Rising military tensions in the Middle East and Ukraine have compelled airlines to consistently choose longer, more expensive routes to steer clear of conflict areas.
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