Lufthansa joins airlines canceling flights to Israel amid escalation in fight against Hezbollah

Several airlines extend their suspensions of flights to Israel after the IDF announced the start of targeted ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

The Lufthansa Group, comprising carriers including Lufthansa, Swiss International, Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings, announces that it will not resume flights to Israel until November.

The announcement comes after the EU on Saturday warned airlines to avoid Lebanese and Israeli airspace for the coming month.

Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia have all said in recent days that they are operating as usual amid increased demand given the cancelations.

Addressing Israelis whose return flights to Israel have been canceled, El Al said yesterday that it was “working to bolster the flight schedule as much as possible, and recommends all passengers whose flights to Israel were canceled to make their way to Athens or Larnaca and register on the waiting list for flights back to Israel.”