More airlines cancel flights as Israel braces for potential attack by Iran, its proxies
Aegean, LOT, ITA, KLM and Wizz Air are latest carriers to suspend Israel routes; some 400 travelers stuck in Prague for 3 days after foreign crew bails on Arkia
Greece’s Aegean, Poland’s LOT, Italy’s ITA, the Netherlands’ KLM and Hungarian budget carrier Wizz Air became the latest airlines to suspend their Israel routes Friday, in anticipation of potential attacks by Iran and its regional proxies.
The airlines join major carriers including United, Delta and Lufthansa who have canceled flights to and from Israel over the past two days.
Wizz canceled all flights until August 4, KLM and Aegean until August 6, LOT until August 9, and ITA until August 7.
Meanwhile, about 400 Israelis marked their third day stranded in the Prague airport on Friday, Hebrew media reported, as regional tensions have led at least 15 airlines to suspend their Israel routes, leaving an estimated 20,000 Israelis with no way home.
The Prague passengers were supposed to return home Wednesday with Israeli airline Arkia. However, the plane and crew were foreign and refused to come to Israel for security reasons.
“Arkia is doing everything to find replacements for the flights that used foreign planes,” the airline said. “The Prague passengers will depart today on two flights, one in the afternoon, in a plane brought specially from Poland, and one at night.”
Several Sabbath-observant passengers were unsatisfied.
“Unfortunately, we were put on the second flight, which is meant to leave past midnight, which definitely won’t work for us, since we’re Orthodox and the Sabbath begins before that,” a young woman visiting Prague with three other friends told the Ynet news site.
The Kan public broadcaster recommended stranded Israelis go to Greece or Cyprus and board Israeli airlines’ flights back home.
Hundreds of Israelis stranded in Prague as airline cancels flights amid security concerns. #BNM #Israel #Palestine #aviation https://t.co/AQWJrlTq3z pic.twitter.com/98GL1KIX1J
— bne IntelliNews (@bneintellinews) August 2, 2024
The wave of cancellations was sparked by fears the regional conflict could escalate after Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran early Wednesday, hours after an Israeli airstrike killed Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr in Beirut. Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas have all promised vengeance on Israel.
Despite the threats, Civil Aviation Authority chief Shmuel Zakai said Thursday that Israel’s airspace “is absolutely safe,” adding that the United States Federal Aviation Administration and its European counterpart held the same assessment.
Many non-Israeli airlines stopped flights to and from Israel after the Gaza war broke out on October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed the country’s south to kill nearly 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
Most resumed after several months, though Israeli airspace was briefly closed in April when Iran launched an unprecedented direct strike on Israel.
