Several major airlines have canceled flights to Ben Gurion International Airport after the Palestinian militant group Hamas did so
launched a large-scale surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, leaving hundreds dead and thousands injured.
United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines all announced that they have temporarily suspended flights to and from the international airport near Tel Aviv.
“Future operations at TLV will be suspended until conditions permit resumption,” United said in a statement to CBS News.
Passengers look at a departure board at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 7, 2023, as flights are canceled due to Hamas’ surprise attacks. GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images
Both Delta and AA said in statements that operations to Israel had been suspended until at least Sunday.
“We will continue to monitor the situation with safety in mind and adjust our operations as necessary,” American Airlines said.
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Delta added that it is “working to safely return Delta people to the United States and will work with the U.S. government as necessary to assist in the repatriation of U.S. citizens who wish to return home.”
Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates, Ryanair and Aegean Airlines also canceled flights.
However, airport authorities have not suspended commercial flights to Eilat, Israel’s second-largest international airport and a Red Sea tourist destination.
“In view of the current security situation in Tel Aviv, Lufthansa is canceling all flights to and from Tel Aviv up to and including Monday,” a spokesman for the German airline told AFP. The airline is “monitoring the security situation in Israel,” he added.
The airline Brussels Airlines, which is part of the Lufthansa Group, has also canceled its flights to Tel Aviv.
Air France said it had suspended flights to Tel Aviv “until further notice.”
“There are commercial measures in place that allow customers to postpone or cancel their trip free of charge,” an Air France spokesman said.
Low-cost airline Transavia, part of the Air France-KLM group, announced that it would cancel all flights from Paris and Lyon to Tel Aviv up to and including Monday. Spanish airline Iberia announced that its low-cost subsidiary Iberia Express is canceling its flights to Tel Aviv.
Italian airline ITA Airways canceled its flight on Sunday morning at the earliest “to protect the safety of passengers and crew.”
Spanish airline Iberia announced that its low-cost subsidiary Iberia Express is canceling its flights to Tel Aviv. In Warsaw, Polish airline LOT announced that it had canceled its flights from the Polish capital on Saturday.