Last Updated: October 08, 2023, 08:21 IST
Passengers look at a departure board at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 7, 2023, as flights are canceled because of the Hamas surprise attacks. (AFP Photo)
Hamas attack: Major airlines cancel flights to Tel Aviv as surprise attack launched on Israel. Check airline updates due to current security concerns
Major airlines, including Air India, cancelled dozens of flights to Tel Aviv this weekend after the Palestinian outfit Hamas launched a large-scale attack against Israel. This comes as the death toll from Saturday’s assault continued to rise by the hour and as of early Sunday morning stood at 300 people, according to The Times of Israel.
In a public address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that Israeli defense forces would destroy Hamas and “will avenge this dark day that they have forced on Israel and its citizens.”
Flights Cancelled
On the arrivals board at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport American Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates, Ryanair and Aegean Airlines were among those pulling flights. However, airport authorities did not stop commercial air links with Eilat, Israel’s second international airport and tourist destination on the Red Sea.
“Given the current security situation in Tel Aviv, Lufthansa is cancelling all flights to and from Tel Aviv up until and including Monday, a spokesman for the German carrier told AFP. The airline was “monitoring the security situation in Israel,” he added.
Air India cancelled all its flights to and from Tel Aviv in the wake of the situation in Israel. In view of the safety of the passengers and the flight crew, the Indian airline cancelled all its scheduled flights.
Brussels Airline, part of the Lufthansa group, also cancelled its Tel Aviv flights. Air France said it had halted Tel Aviv flights “until further notice”. “Commercial measures are in place, allowing customers to postpone or cancel their trip free of charge”, an Air France spokesman said.
Air France-KLM group’s low-cost carrier Transavia announced it was cancelling all flights from Paris and Lyon to Tel Aviv up to and including Monday. Spanish airline Iberia announced that its budget subsidiary Iberia Express was cancelling its Tel Aviv flights.
Italy’s flag-carrier ITA Airways cancelled its flight until Sunday morning at the earliest “to protect the safety of passengers and crew”. Additionally, Spanish airline Iberia announced that its budget subsidiary Iberia Express was cancelling its Tel Aviv flights.
(With agency inputs)
