From the Liveblog of
Friday, June 13, 2025
Ben Gurion Airport closed ‘until further notice’; airlines start to issue cancellation notices
Sharon Wrobel is a tech reporter for The Times of Israel
With Ben Gurion Airport closed to arrivals and departures until further notice, after Israel launched a major offensive against Iran and its nuclear program overnight, individual airlines are starting to issue notices of cancellation.
Channel 12 is reporting that the airport is expected to stay closed for the next 3-4 days, but this is not confirmed. A spokesman for the Airports Authority tells The Times of Israel that no official statement or estimate has been issued.
Following “assessments of the situation,” the Lufthansa Group – which includes the airlines Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings – says it is updating its flight schedule in the Middle East, and halting services to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport through July 31.
Due to “operational reasons,” it adds, the group is halting SWISS flights to and from Tel Aviv until the end of the summer season, and through October 25.
The group says it “regrets the inconvenience caused to its customers as a result of the situation.”
The Air France-KLM group says it is forced to cancel flights to and from the country until further notice, “due to the security situation in Israel and the closure of airspace.”
“We are constantly monitoring developments and will update accordingly as soon as it is possible to resume operations,” it says in a statement. Passengers can contact customer service to change flight dates or receive a refund in accordance with the company’s policy.
Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air informs passengers about flight cancellations and disruptions, citing “ongoing regional developments.”
The Times of Israel Community.