Passengers check their flight status at the departure terminal at Ben Gurion Airport the morning after a drone and missile attack from Iran, near Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, May 14 April 2024.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | beautiful images
Flights to Israel will be disrupted for months Rising tensions with Iranwhile other routes may take longer due to airlines circling the volatile region.
British low-cost airline easyJet on Tuesday said it would be extended it suspended Israeli flights for the rest of the summer, until October 27, and will refund customers who flew.
competitor Wizz Air resumed flights to Tel Aviv on Tuesday but said passengers could expect “schedule changes” and the airline was monitoring the situation.
Dutch Airlines KLM canceled flights to Israel until April 21 and said it does not fly over Iran and Israel. Air India said it had temporarily suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv and its Tuesday service was listed as cancelled.
German group Lufthansa said it resumed flights to Tel Aviv, Amman and Erbil on Tuesday, but canceled flights to Tehran and Beirut until Thursday. They also said they do not currently use Iranian airspace.
United Airlines, the only US airline currently flying to Israel, has suspended flights and has offered full refunds to customers arriving in Tel Aviv before May 1; while Air Canada has warned of delays to Israeli flights.
Along with flights from national airline El Al, flights from European airlines Swiss, Transavia and AeroItalia were also en route to Tel Aviv on Tuesday afternoon London time, according to Flightradar24 data.
Israel closed its airspace for a period of time over the weekend after Iran launched a missile more than 300 drones and missiles against domestic military targets on Saturday. The attack caused limited damage and no deaths, but there was great uncertainty surrounding Israel's response and the risk of escalating tensions in the region.
Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq also temporarily closed their airspace.
Flightradar24 over the Middle East on April 14, 2024 after Iran launched drone attacks on Israel.
Source: Flightradar24
Passengers everywhere are being advised to check for updates from their airlines, with flights including routes from China to Iran and various routes to Jordan also affected.
Tensions also affect routes through the Middle East when going to other parts of the world, especially routes from Europe to Asia.
European Commission et The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said on Sunday “There was no risk of overflight to civil aviation at any time” during the airspace closure.
However, the agency advised airlines to exercise “caution” over Israel and neighboring airspace within 100 nautical miles of the country. It also urged caution when traveling through Iran.
With airlines also avoiding the airspace of both Russia and Ukraine due to the ongoing war, this gives flights connecting Eurasia the options of flying over Central Asia or the south of the region. According to reports, the diversion led to some delays in implementation of up to two hours. report in the UK
Finnair said it does not use Iranian airspace, which may affect flight times from Doha.
