Passengers are urged to verify their flight timings prior to departure from Ben Gurion International Airport.
Israeli airspace has been reopened following a temporary closure due to an overnight missile and drone attack from Iran, leading to numerous flight cancellations and disruptions. Operations resumed at 7:30 a.m. (0430 GMT) on Sunday, although the flight schedule from Tel Aviv remains impacted, with passengers urged to verify their flight timings prior to departure from Ben Gurion International Airport.
According to Reuters, Israel’s flag carrier El Al announced that it had recommenced operations and was actively working to stabilize its flight schedule. “El Al is committed to maintaining the air bridge to and from Israel and will continue operations to the fullest extent possible,” the airline stated in a release. The carrier was forced to cancel 15 flights to various destinations across Europe and the Middle East on Sunday, and had to redirect flights originally departing from Southeast Asia back to their origin points. El Al said it was offering rescue flights from Athens, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Madrid, New York and Miami for Israelis stranded abroad by other carriers. Its Sun Dor subsidiary is offering flights back to Israel from Larnaca, Rhodes, Warsaw and Krakow.
Other Israeli airlines, including Arkia, have also adjusted their flight schedules, with delays impacting routes to European cities such as Athens, Milan, and Geneva.
The disruption affected not only Israeli carriers but also international flights into and out of the country. Several foreign airlines, including Wizz Air, Air India, Iberia, and Air France reported delays, with Swiss International Air Lines suspending flights to and from Tel Aviv indefinitely. Additionally, Swiss has avoided airspace over Iran, Iraq, and Israel, causing delays to flights from India and Singapore. Lufthansa said its flights and those of Austrian were also suspended to Tel Aviv, Amman and Erbil until Tuesday.
Air India also reportedly has temporarily halted flights to Israel.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways cancelled flights to Jordan and Israel on Sunday, the airline said in a statement.
United Airlines opens new tab cancelled Saturday’s planned flight from Newark to Tel Aviv, the airline said in a statement. United is the only major U.S. airline to have resumed flights to Israel since the attacks by Hamas on Israel in October last year.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
