Airlines Suspend Flights and Reroute Planes Amid Heightened Tensions in the Middle East

17.04.2024 - 18:35 / cntraveler.com

Following Iran's missile and drone attacks on Israel late Saturday night, several airlines are canceling flights to and from Tel Aviv, as well as rerouting planes scheduled to fly over the Middle East.

Over the weekend, much of the airspace over and surrounding the two countries was closed, meaning passenger planes were banned from flying over many of the nations in the region. In addition to Iran and Israel, airspace over Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon was also closed on Saturday.

Those bans have since been lifted and the airspaces reopened, but that doesn’t mean that airlines have returned to their normal operations in the Middle East. In fact, many carriers are suspending routes to and from Israel for several months, while other airlines are changing the flight paths of planes scheduled to fly through the area so as not to pass over Iran—a move that could lengthen flight times, depending on the destination.

Some airlines have paused flights to and from Israel for a matter of days, while others have suspended flights well into autumn. Most airlines will contact their customers on affected flights via text or email. Always verify flight information with your airline and reach out to their customer service for help with rebooking and reimbursement.

Delta released a statement in March that it will push the resumption of its daily flights from New York-JFK to Tel Aviv to later this summer. “​​The decision to resume the route on June 7, 2024, which was temporarily suspended in October 2023, follows an extensive security risk assessment by the airline,” the statement says.

United Airlines, which had just recently resumed daily service between Newark and Tel Aviv in March, said in an emailed statement that it canceled its April 16 flights into Tel Aviv and Amman, Jordan. “We continue to closely monitor the situation and will make decisions on upcoming flights with a focus on the safety of our customers and crews,” a United spokesperson said. The airline has however resumed its flights between Newark and Dubai.

American Airlines told Skift in February that it would suspend all its flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 26, 2024.

KLM stated on its site Saturday that it has canceled all flights to Tel Aviv up to and including April 18.

Virgin Atlantic has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv up to and including September 4, 2024, according to a travel alert last updated on February 12.

EasyJet told the BBC in a statement Tuesday that it has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 27.

Cathay Pacific announced in February that it canceled all of its flights to Tel Aviv up to and including October 24, 2024. The airline added: “Despite our best efforts, alternative flights are very limited in the