Air India, owned by Tata, has suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv effective immediately, extending the suspension until August 8. This decision comes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
With rising tensions in the Middle East, airlines around the world are starting to cancel flights to Israel again, just after resuming them. Air India has issued the following statement:
"Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East, we are suspending all flights to and from Tel Aviv until August 8, 2024. We are closely monitoring the situation and offering support to passengers with bookings for this period by waiving rescheduling and cancellation fees. The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority."
The airline is closely monitoring the situation and has introduced a one-time waiver for passengers with confirmed bookings to and from Tel Aviv during this period, allowing them to reschedule or cancel their flights without incurring additional charges. Air India typically operates four weekly flights between Delhi and Tel Aviv.
On the night of August 1, Air India had already canceled flights AI139 from Delhi to Tel Aviv and AI140 from Tel Aviv to Delhi due to operational issues.
In response to the recent violence involving key Hamas and Hezbollah figures, other major airlines have also adjusted their schedules. German carrier Lufthansa has suspended its Tel Aviv flights until at least August 8 and extended its suspension of flights to Beirut until August 12. Lufthansa, which includes SWISS and Austrian Airlines, cited the current situation as the reason for these adjustments.
Similarly, ITA Airways has canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv until August 6, also due to the ongoing geopolitical developments in the region.
On Thursday morning, A Lufthansa Airlines flight traveling from Munich to Tel Aviv made an unexpected landing in Larnaca, Cyprus, before returning to Germany. The diversion occurred after the crew refused to continue to Israel due to escalating tensions with Iran.
The German airline had announced the previous day that it was canceling two overnight flights from Frankfurt and Munich to Tel Aviv on Monday, citing increased tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
Initially, Lufthansa informed passengers that the plane was landing in Cyprus for "technical reasons." It was later decided that the flight would not proceed to Tel Aviv and would instead head back to Germany.
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