More than 40 airlines canceled flights to Israel amid the Hamas attacks, but some are already resuming service — see the list

11 months, 4 weeks ago - 11 October 2023, insider
More than 40 airlines canceled flights to Israel amid the Hamas attacks, but some are already resuming service — see the list
After decades of conflict, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Saturday.

Dozens of international airlines have since canceled flights to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv — the nation's only international hub — amid the deadly invasion.

According to data from the aviation-analytics firm Cirium and shared with Insider, more than 40 carriers canceled hundreds of flights to and from Israel on Saturday and Sunday.

At the time of writing, 131 flights — or 44% of all scheduled service to and from Tel Aviv — had been canceled on Tuesday, according to data from the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Among those that have halted service to Tel Aviv until further notice are the US carriers American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. The Federal Aviation Administration told Insider on Monday that it had "urged airlines and pilots to use caution when flying in Israeli airspace."

Airlines like Air France, Lufthansa, easyJet, and Royal Jordanian Airlines have also paused flying to Israel, according to Cirium.

The British carriers British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways, however, confirmed to Insider on Monday that they were continuing to operate some frequencies to Tel Aviv — the latter saying its "flights are currently planned to operate over the coming days with adjusted departure times."

Each told Insider it was offering a flexible booking policy and was closely monitoring the situation in Israel but warned customers to check their flight status before arriving at the airport.

The Israeli flag carrier El Al said on its website that it was also continuing to serve its home nation. About half of its scheduled flights to Tel Aviv on Monday have been delayed, with none canceled.

Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia are actually upping service to Tel Aviv to help mobilize a record 300,000 reservists who were called back in response to the Hamas attack.

Other carriers such as Air Seychelles, Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates, India's IndiGo, and Turkish Airlines were also still flying passenger planes to Tel Aviv as of Monday, according to FlightAware data.

While some airlines continue to serve Israel, international carriers are expected to continue to alter flight schedules during the fighting.

Here's the list of airlines that have canceled flights to or from Tel Aviv since Saturday as of the time of writing, but most of this information is subject to change.

Africa

  • Egyptair: canceled flights from Cairo Sunday and Monday, scheduled for Tuesday
  • Royal Air Maroc: canceled flights Saturday and Sunday, flight from Casablanca scheduled for Monday night

Asia

  • Cathay Pacific: flights from Hong Kong Tuesday and Thursday are canceled so far
  • Hainan Airlines: flights from Hong Kong were canceled Monday, and service is resuming as scheduled, per its website
  • Korean Air: flights from Seoul canceled Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, with its Tuesday flight listed as delayed on FlightAware
  • Royal Jordanian: flights canceled from Amman through Tuesday
  • SunExpress: flights canceled between Turkey and Tel Aviv through Wednesday morning

Europe

  • Aegean Airlines: flights canceled from Greece through Thursday
  • Air Europe: flights from Madrid were canceled over the weekend, and operations have since resumed
  • Air France: flights suspended until further notice
  • Air Malta: flights canceled Monday and Wednesday
  • Blue Bird Airways: canceled one flight from Athens on Sunday, but is now flying daily
  • Bulgaria Air: one roundtrip flight canceled, scheduled to operate again Thursday
    easyJet: flights suspended through Tuesday
  • Finnair: flights canceled through Saturday
  • Iberia: some flights canceled from Madrid on Sunday and Monday, still serving Tel Aviv
  • ITA Airways: flight suspended through Thursday
  • KLM: flights canceled from Saturday and up to Sunday
  • LOT Polish Airlines: flights canceled through Tuesday, the airline said more scheduled service could be delayed or canceled
  • Lufthansa Group: flights suspended through Saturday (includes its subsidiaries Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Airlines, and Brussels Airlines)
  • Norwegian Air: flights canceled from Copenhagen and Stockholm through Sunday
  • Ryanair: flights suspended through Wednesday
  • TAP Air Portugal: flights suspended until further notice
  • Transavia: flights from Amsterdam canceled through Wednesday
  • Turkish Airlines: canceled about 35% of flights between Turkey and Tel Aviv over the weekend, and about 25% were canceled
  • Monday
  • Vueling: canceled flights over the weekend, resuming flights Monday
  • Wizz Air: flights canceled until further notice

Middle East

  • Gulf Air: flights from Bahrain canceled through Wednesday
  • Etihad Airways: flights from Abu Dhabi canceled through Tuesday, scheduled for Wednesday

North America

  • American Airlines: flights suspended
  • Delta Air Lines: flights suspended until at least the end of this month
  • United Airlines: flights suspended until at least Saturday
  • Air Canada: flights suspended

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