Flight disruptions to Israel are expected to persist for several months due to increased tensions with Iran, while airlines may take longer routes to avoid the volatile region.
On Tuesday, easyJet, a British low-cost carrier, announced the extension of its suspension of flights to Israel for the remainder of the summer season, until October 27. The airline also stated that it would provide refunds to customers affected by this decision.
In contrast, rival airline Wizz Air resumed its flights to Tel Aviv on Tuesday but cautioned passengers about possible schedule changes, indicating that it was closely monitoring the situation.
Meanwhile, Dutch airline KLM canceled its flights to Israel until April 21 and clarified that it was avoiding airspace over Iran and Israel. Air India also temporarily suspended its flights to and from Tel Aviv, with its Tuesday service marked as canceled.
Germany’s Lufthansa Group, on the other hand, announced the resumption of flights to Tel Aviv, Amman (Jordan), and Irbil (Iraq) on Tuesday. However, the group canceled flights to Tehran (Iran) and Beirut until Thursday and emphasized its avoidance of Iranian airspace at present.
The sole U.S. airline currently operating flights to Israel has temporarily suspended its services and is offering full refunds to customers scheduled to travel to Tel Aviv before May 1. Air Canada has also cautioned passengers about potential delays to its Israel-bound flights.
In addition to flights operated by the national carrier El Al, European airlines Swiss, Transavia, and AeroItalia were observed en route to Tel Aviv on Tuesday afternoon London time, as per data from Flightradar24.
Israel temporarily closed its airspace over the weekend in response to an attack by Iran, which involved over 300 drones and missiles targeting military sites within the country. While the attack resulted in limited damage and no fatalities, significant uncertainty persists regarding Israel’s response and the potential for further escalation of tensions in the region.
Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq also temporarily shut down their airspaces in response to the situation.
Passengers are advised to stay updated by checking for notifications from their airlines, as flights, including those to Iran and Jordan, are affected. Tensions in the Middle East are also impacting routes over the region, especially Europe-to-Asia flights.
The European Commission and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency have stated there’s no risk to civil aviation during airspace closures but have advised caution over Israel and surrounding airspace within 100 nautical miles, as well as over Iran.
With airlines avoiding airspace over Russia and Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict, Europe-Asia connections have been rerouted either through Central Asia or to the south, resulting in some delays of up to two hours, according to UK reports.
Finnair has announced its avoidance of Iranian airspace, potentially affecting flight durations originating from Doha, Qatar.
Read More: Chicago seeks ceasefire in Israel’s conflict with Gaza.
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