Most foreign airlines halt flights to Tel Aviv after Houthi missile hits airport
Lufthansa group, Air India, Wizz Air suspend service to Israel until May 6, and United until May 8; others, including Air France and Delta, cancel Sunday flights
Sharon Wrobel is a tech reporter for The Times of Israel
Major foreign airlines, including German carrier Lufthansa, France’s Air France, US carrier Delta and Hungary’s Wizz Air, on Sunday canceled their scheduled flights to Tel Aviv, after a ballistic missile from Yemen struck inside the grounds of Israel’s main airport, Ben Gurion International.
By Sunday late afternoon, only a few foreign airlines were still confirmed to be flying.
Among European airlines, the Lufthansa group — which also includes SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines — halted all flights to Ben Gurion Airport scheduled to depart on Sunday from Frankfurt, Vienna, Zurich and Munich, until Tuesday.
“Due to the current situation, the Lufthansa Group has decided to suspend its flights to and from Tel Aviv up until and including May 6,” Lufthansa said in a statement. “Affected guests will be notified and rebooked on alternative flights, subject to availability.”
Wizz Air announced it was canceling its flights to Israel until Tuesday morning while “closely monitoring the situation.” Spanish airline Air Europa halted its scheduled flight departing from Madrid to Tel Aviv, citing “security reasons.”
Air France also nixed its Sunday flight services to Tel Aviv. TUS Airways halted flights to and from Cyprus through May 5. Air India canceled all flights to and from Tel Aviv until May 6 and British Airways until May 7.
ITA Airways said that “due to the current circumstances,” it has decided to suspend flights from Rome to Tel Aviv until May 7. Low-cost Irish carrier Ryanair informed passengers that it was “forced to cancel flights to and from Tel Aviv due to operational restrictions which are beyond our control.” LOT Polish Airlines called off all its flights until Tuesday, May 6.
Among US carriers, United Airlines suspended its twice-daily service between New York and Tel Aviv through May 8, as the carrier said it is assessing the situation.
“We will make decisions on resuming service with a focus on the safety of our customers and crews,” United said in an e-mail.
Delta Air Lines canceled its Sunday afternoon flight departing from New York’s JFK airport to Ben Gurion, adding that the “safety and security of our customers and crews is our No. 1 priority.”
Earlier in the day, Ben Gurion Airport temporarily halted takeoffs and landings following the launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen, several minutes before the projectile entered Israeli airspace. The IDF failed to intercept the missile, and it impacted inside the grounds of the airport, injuring six people. The airport was fully reopened about 30 minutes later.
“Unlike previous events in which the airport was closed for a short time, this time our travel agents are reporting fewer calls and more people who are unfazed about the situation,” said Ofakim Travel CEO Revital Ben Natan. “It is still difficult to determine the status of the operations of the airlines in Israel.”
“The fact that Ben Gurion International Airport returned to activity quickly brings back a sense of confidence; however, we may see international airlines that will take the next few days to monitor the situation,” Ben Natan added.
A few foreign airlines, including Ethiopian Airlines, flydubai, Iberia and Blue Bird Airways, on Sunday continued their flight services to and from Tel Aviv as scheduled, according to the Israel Airport Authority website.
Shares of Israeli flagship carrier El Al and local low-cost carrier Israir soared on Sunday. El Al shares jumped almost 7 percent and are up 49% so far this year, as the local carrier has been generating record-high profits, benefiting from uninterrupted flight services during the war period. Meanwhile, Israir’s stock rose 4.1%, according to Tel Aviv Stock Exchange data.
Starting Sunday evening, El Al said it will be offering special flight ticket prices from nearby destinations, Greece and Cyprus, to help Israelis stranded overseas travel back home. Israel’s flagship carrier will be selling one-way flight tickets from Larnaca in Cyprus to Tel Aviv for $99 and from Athens in Greece to Tel Aviv for $149.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched some 27 ballistic missiles and several drones at Israel. Only around half of them triggered sirens in the country and were shot down, while the others fell short.
The Houthis — whose slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 invasion of southern Israel led by Palestinian terror group Hamas and that killed 1,200 people, saw 251 abducted as hostages to the Gaza Strip, and triggered the war.
Since the war with Hamas started, most foreign airlines have repeatedly canceled and resumed their flights to and from Israel. Hopes for a sustained ceasefire-hostage release deal and a seemingly gradual reduction in tensions earlier this year prompted many major foreign airlines, including British Airways, Ryanair, and US carriers Delta and United Airlines, to resume part of their flight services to and from Israel in recent weeks, albeit with limited capacity and frequency.
“We have been in a dynamic situation for a long time, which requires customers, both private and business, to prepare for different scenarios,” said Ben Natan. “This means first and foremost consulting with the travel agent or other relevant factors who are familiar with the situation regarding the status of the flights and the chances of a possible cancellation.”
“Then, adding flexibility measures and insurance for all elements of the trip, which the vast majority of customers purchase in advance,” she recommended.
The Times of Israel Community.