Airlines put brakes on Tel Aviv and Beirut trips as Israel-Hezbollah tensions soar
British Airways, Lot, Azerbaijan and Wizz all cancel flights to Ben Gurion Tuesday, while several Middle Eastern airlines announce planes will avoid Lebanon for next two days
European airlines canceled flights to Tel Aviv and Mideast airlines temporarily suspended trips to Beirut on Tuesday, as tensions soared between Israel and Hezbollah amid some of the heaviest exchanges of fire the region has seen in years.
British Airways, Hungary-based low-cost carrier Wizz, Poland’s flagship Lot, and Azerbaijan’s AZAL all canceled service to and from Ben Gurion Airport for Tuesday, with the latter two also canceling some flights for Wednesday.
AZAL, also known as Azerbaijan Airlines, said it was canceling flights between Baku and Tel Aviv “due to recent events and security concerns in Israel.” It did not announce an expected timeframe for flights to resume.
British Airways said in a statement that it was canceling flights until September 26, adding, “Safety is always our top priority, and we’re contacting customers to advise them of their travel options.”
Lot said in a statement on its website that “due to the current situation, we are constantly analyzing the safety of LOT Polish Airlines’ operations.”
Wizz did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Times of Israel.
The airlines were the latest to suspend flights to the region as tensions have ratcheted up, joining Air India, KLM, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, EasyJet, RyanAir, Spanish budget airline Vueling, and others that have previously announced service freezes to Israel, as well as several more that have canceled flights to Lebanon.
Germany’s Lufthansa, which said last week it would resume flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran on Tuesday, instead announced it was extending the suspensions until at least October 14, with flights to Beirut remaining canceled until October 26.
Lufthansa continues to “monitor the situation closely and will assess it further in the coming days,” it said on its website.
In Lebanon, where Israel’s air force continued to bombard Hezbollah strongholds after over 550 people were killed in airstrikes Monday, several Gulf carriers announced they were suspending flights to Beirut’s international airport for Tuesday and Wednesday.
“The safety of our crew and customers is of utmost importance and will not be compromised,” Emirates said in a statement, announcing the suspension of flights on Tuesday and Wednesday. Flydubai, its sister value brand, canceled its daily flights on Tuesday and Wednesday “due to the ongoing developments,” a spokesperson said.
The Israel Defense Forces said it carried out sorties against some 1,600 targets across Lebanon Monday, mostly homes where it said Hezbollah was hiding missiles and other arms. The Iran-backed terror group fired over 200 rockets at Israel over the course of Monday, with at least 100 more flying into Israel on Tuesday.
Qatar Airways, the national flag carrier which operates two flights a day to the Lebanese capital, also canceled services for two days.
“Due to the ongoing situation in Lebanon, Qatar Airways has temporarily suspended flights to and from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport until September 25,” it said in a statement.
Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates national airline, canceled its return flight from Abu Dhabi to Beirut scheduled for Wednesday, according to a statement sent to AFP.
UAE-based Air Arabia also canceled flights from Sharjah and Abu Dhabi to Beirut for Tuesday, and Egyptian flag carrier Egypt Air canceled flights to and from Beirut starting on Tuesday, state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV reported.
Turkey’s Pegasus also canceled flights to Beirut on Tuesday due to risk assessments on the situation in Lebanon, the company told Reuters.
Air France extended its suspension to Beirut on Tuesday to October 1, and Germany’s Sundair said Sunday it was canceling flights from Berlin to Beirut until Friday. It had previously suspended flights from Bremen to Beirut until October 23.
Lufthansa, Air France, and Delta have also suspended flights to Beirut.
A source at Lebanese flagship Middle East Airlines told AFP its flights were booked out for days.
“Our flights are all overbooked because of the cancelations of other airlines,” the source said on condition of anonymity. “There is not a single seat available for any destination before Sunday.”
Last week, Qatar Airways announced a ban on pagers and walkie-talkies on its Beirut flights after communications device explosions, blamed on Israel, killed 37 people and wounded thousands over two days.
