Several airlines operating from and to Tel Aviv, Israel have taken precautionary measures in response to today’s surge in attacks carried out by the militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip. They carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday.
Shortly after the attack, several aircraft that were flying towards Tel Aviv diverted to the airport of Larnaca, Cyprus. According to information, obtained by Aviation24.be, all Ryanair aircraft headed back to their airport of departure as well as a United Airlines Boeing 777 from San Francisco. The Lufthansa Group (SWISS, Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines) also scaled back its flights to Israel.
Several other airlines are also taking precautionary measures in response to the heightened security environment in the region. Wizz Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Air India, Turkish Airlines (and many more) are reportedly among the carriers that have opted to cancel flights to and from Israel.
United flight UA954 SFO-TLV is returning to SFO for obvious reasons. pic.twitter.com/TkAe4UaQ3y
— Ivan Coninx (@ivanconinx) October 7, 2023