Sunday, August 4, 2024
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Spanish airlines Iberia and Air Europa canceled their incoming flights to Israel on Saturday, joining a rapidly growing list of airlines that have suspended or canceled some flights.
Israel remains prepared for a large-scale attack by Iran and Hezbollah, amid fears of an escalation in the regional conflict.
Iberia Express has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Monday.
Air Europa’s daily flights to and from Israel have been cancelled from Sunday to Wednesday, although the outbound flight to Madrid will continue as planned on Saturday.
Media outlets, citing aviation industry sources, reported that the flight cancellations have left about 100,000 Israelis stranded abroad.
According to the report, people stranded abroad are advised to travel to Greece or Cyprus and return from there to Israel.
National carrier El Al saw no disruptions to its flight schedule, and media reported Saturday evening that it would add five flights to help bring Israelis stranded abroad home.
The Foreign Ministry on Saturday published an online form to help provide assistance to tens of thousands of Israelis stranded abroad who have no way to return home due to flight cancellations.
As of Saturday, at least 18 airlines have cancelled flights to and from Israel, as Hezbollah and Iran have threatened to attack following the killing of top terror leaders.
Below is an alphabetical list of flights cancelled by airlines as of August 3 (cancellations may be extended further, depending on developments):
Aegean (Greece) – Flights cancelled until August 6
Air Europa (Spain) – Flights cancelled from 4 to 7 August inclusive
Air India (India) – Flights cancelled until August 8
Delta – Flights cancelled until August 3
flydubai (UAE) – Flights cancelled until 3 August
Iberia Express (Spain) – Flights cancelled until August 4
ITA (Italy) – Flights cancelled until August 6
KLM (Netherlands) – Flights cancelled until October 26
LOT (Poland) – Flights cancelled until August 5
Lufthansa Group (Germany) – Flights cancelled until August 9 (group airlines include Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa Airlines, Eurowings)
United Airlines (US) – Flights cancelled until August 9
Vueling (Spain) – Flights cancelled until August 4
Wizz Air (Hungary) – Flights cancelled until August 4
Ethiopian Airlines has also cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, a digital channel said later on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Lebanon urged its citizens on Saturday to leave Lebanon and book any available ticket, even if that flight does not depart immediately or does not follow their first choice route.
The embassy added that citizens who choose to remain in Lebanon should arrange shelter in case of emergency.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy was more blunt: “While we are working around the clock to strengthen our consular presence in Lebanon, my message to British nationals there is clear: leave now,” he said in a statement.
Air France and its Dutch low-cost subsidiary Transavia said on Saturday they had extended their suspension of flights between Paris and Beirut until at least Aug. 6.
Flights to Tel Aviv will continue as normal, a company spokesman told another news agency.
The Israeli Ministry of Transportation said on Friday that the security situation allows flights to and from Israel.
The ministry said that some foreign airlines are postponing or reducing some of their flights to Israel for internal reasons.
Travellers should take into account that their return will be delayed.
Some airlines have also been careful to stay out of Iranian airspace since the assassination.
Turkish Airlines has postponed flights to Iran due to escalating tensions between the Islamic Republic and Israel, a Turkish state news agency said on Friday.
Flights are scheduled to resume on Saturday morning.
The Foreign Ministry on Saturday opened an electronic form for Israelis stranded abroad “to collect information and recommendations for citizens and their families who want to reach Israel.”
The ministry added that filling out the form does not guarantee a return ticket or any type of financing.
Although Israeli airlines continued their flights, Arkia saw some flights operated by foreign crews cancelled.
The cancellation of one flight left about 400 Israelis stranded in Prague for three days until they were able to fly home on Friday.
Israeli airspace is “completely safe,” the head of the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority, Shmuel Zakai, said Thursday, adding that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and its European counterpart hold the same assessment.
He added that Israel would know when to close its airspace for security reasons if necessary.
Several non-Israeli airlines have suspended flights to and from Israel after the war on Gaza broke out on October 7.
Thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed the south of the country, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Most of the talks resumed several months later, although Israeli airspace was briefly closed in April when Iran launched an unprecedented direct attack on Israel.
