FACTBOX-Airlines suspend flights as Middle East tensions rise
As tensions rise in the Middle East, numerous international airlines have suspended or adjusted flights to the region. Airlines such as Aegean Airlines, Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines, and Emirates have cancelled or paused services to cities like Tel Aviv and Beirut due to safety concerns. The disruptions are expected to continue, with some airlines extending cancellations into 2025. This situation reflects the broader impact of escalating conflicts on global aviation operations.
Oct 3 (Reuters) - Concerns over a wider conflict in the Middle East have prompted international airlines to suspend flights to the region or to avoid affected air space.
Below are some of the airlines that have adjusted services to and from the region:
AEGEAN AIRLINES (AGNr.AT) The Greek airline cancelled flights to and from Beirut until Oct. 31 and to and from Tel Aviv until Oct. 6.
AIR ALGERIE The Algerian airline suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.
AIRBALTIC Latvia’s airBaltic cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Oct. 31.
AIR EUROPA The Spanish airline cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 7.
AIR FRANCE-KLM (AIRF.PA) Air France on Sept. 30 suspended Paris-Tel Aviv and Paris-Beirut flights until Oct. 8. KLM extended the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until the end of this year at least, the carrier said on Oct. 1. The Franco-Dutch group’s low-cost unit Transavia cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until March 31, 2025, and flights to Amman and Beirut until Nov. 3.
AIR INDIA The Indian flag carrier suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.
BULGARIA AIR The Bulgarian carrier cancelled flights to and from Israel until Oct. 15.
CATHAY PACIFIC (0293.HK) Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until March 27, 2025.
DELTA AIR LINES (DAL.N) The U.S. carrier paused flights between New York and Tel Aviv through Dec. 31.
EASYJET (EZJ.L)
The UK budget airline stopped flying to and from Tel Aviv in April and will resume flights on March 30, 2025, a spokesperson said.
EMIRATES UAE’s state-owned airline cancelled flights between Dubai and Beirut until Oct. 8.
ETIHAD AIRWAYS Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways said it was re-routing a number of its flights on Oct. 2 in response to airspace restrictions in parts of the Middle East.
FLYDUBAI The Emirati airline on Sept. 30 cancelled Dubai-Beirut flights until Oct. 7. It also cancelled flights to Jordan, Iraq, Israel and Iran on Oct. 2-3 due to the temporary closure of a number of air spaces.
IAG (ICAG.L)
IAG-owned British Airways cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv through Oct. 7, the airline said in an e-mailed comment.
Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling cancelled operations to Tel Aviv until Jan. 12, 2025, while flights to Amman were cancelled until further notice.
IRAN AIR The Iranian airline cancelled all flights to Beirut until further notice, a company spokesman told local media on Sept. 28.
IRAQI AIRWAYS The Iraqi national carrier suspended flights to and from Beirut until further notice, Iraq’s transportation ministry said on Sept. 27.
ITA AIRWAYS Italy’s ITA Airways extended the suspension of Tel Aviv flights through Oct. 31.
LOT
The Polish flag carrier suspended flights to Lebanon until further notice, it said in an emailed comment on Sept. 20.
LUFTHANSA GROUP (LHAG.DE) The German airline group suspended flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 31 while flights to Tehran have been suspended through Oct. 26. Flights to Beirut will be suspended until Nov. 30. It said it will avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Jordanian airspace up to and including Oct. 2 amid an escalation of an armed conflict in the Middle East, suspending flights to and from Amman and Erbil.
SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines (THYAO.IS) , suspended flights to Beirut through Dec. 17.
PEGASUS (PGSUS.IS)
The Turkish airline cancelled flights to Beirut until Oct. 7, a company spokesperson said.
RYANAIR (RYA.I) Europe’s biggest budget airline cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Oct. 26.
QATAR AIRWAYS The Qatari airline temporarily suspended flights to and from Beirut until further notice.
SUNDAIR The German airline cancelled Berlin-Beirut and Bremen-Beirut flights until Oct. 31.
UNITED AIRLINES (UAL.O) The Chicago-based airline suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future due to security reasons.
WIZZ AIR (WIZZ.L)
The Hungary-based airline temporarily suspended flights to and from Israel through Oct. 3, it said in an emailed statement.
Flights delayed or cancelled as Middle East conflict disrupts aviation here
