As more foreign airlines nix flights, Israeli official says airspace ‘absolutely safe’
FlyDubai, Delta, Air India, Baltic Airlines cancel some services, as does Lufthansa Group; United has now canceled all flights until further notice
More airlines canceled flights to Israel on Thursday amid spiraling tensions in the Middle East, bringing to 10 the total number of airlines that have announced cancelations.
However, a senior Israeli aviation official argued that the country’s skies were secure and that authorities will close the airspace of their own initiative if and when the situation truly calls for it.
The Lufthansa Group, which includes Lufthansa, Swiss Airlines, Brussel Airlines, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings, announced that it was canceling flights to Israel until August 9.
Air Baltic canceled its flights to Israel that were scheduled for Thursday and Friday, and as of Thursday evening, all flights after Friday were unchanged.
Similarly, Air India, Delta and FlyDubai canceled their flights to Israel set for Thursday evening and night, but said that they currently planned to resume transit to the country on Friday.
United Airlines was the only airline that did not announce a return date, canceling all its flights until further notice.
In a statement on Thursday, the Israel Airports Authority said that amid the current security situation, flights to and from Israel were still safe.
“Some of the foreign airlines are suspending or reducing their flights to Israel for their own internal reasons. Travelers must take into account that their return to Israel may be delayed, stay in contact with the airlines and get updated about their flights,” the IAA said.
“Ben Gurion Airport’s flight board continues to be updated and the foreign airlines are updating us regarding their activities to Israel in light of the security tensions.”
Shmuel Zakai, the head of the Civil Aviation Authority, echoed that sentiment.
“Flights to Israel are safe,” he said, citing not only Israeli authorities but also global regulators, including the Federal Aviation Administration and its European counterpart. In contrast to the situation in Lebanon, these authorities have not issued instructions to airlines not to fly to Israel, he noted.
Israel’s airspace “is absolutely safe,” Zakai said.
He said Israel proved on April 13 and 14 — when Iran mounted an unprecedented and almost entirely thwarted missile and drone attack — “that when we assess that the airspace is not safe for flights, we close it. That earned us a lot of credit internationally.”
With many passengers unable to depart as planned and others unable to return, Zakai stressed that almost 70,000 passengers had flown in and out of Israel on Thursday by the evening hours, on almost 60 airlines.
“The cancelations are significant,” he acknowledged, adding that the main reason for cancelations was that “flight crews are deterred from coming to Israel.” When buying tickets, he added, passengers should take into account that they might encounter delays and cancelations.
Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia announced that they would continue to operate their flights as usual and were even preparing to add more flights if necessary to help stranded Israelis get home.
Foreign airlines have canceled and resumed flights to Israel since October 7 when the war in Gaza began with Hamas’s surprise attack in which thousands of terrorists murdered some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have also attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the northern border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
Foreign air travel to and from Israel has fluctuated over the last 10 months according to the security situation in Israel amid the war, with many airlines canceling flights temporarily in April when Iran launched a massive attack of drones and missiles at Israel, which were almost all shot down by the country and its allies.
Tensions between Israel and its enemies have risen again this week as the war in Gaza and conflict with Hezbollah continue. After a rocket strike from the Lebanese terrorist organization killed 12 children in the northern Druze town of Majdal Shams on Saturday, Israel vowed a strong response, killing top Hezbollah commander Faud Shukr in an airstrike in Beirut on Wednesday.
At Shukr’s funeral on Thursday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the group’s war with Israel had entered a new stage and vowed “rage and revenge on all fronts.”
Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran on Wednesday in an attack that the Islamic Regime blamed on Israel, which has not taken responsibility. Regardless, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge on Israel and reportedly ordered a direct strike on the country.
