The bombing of pagers in the possession of Lebanese Hezbollah elements yesterday, Tuesday, increased the disruption of air traffic in the region, after the party accused Israel of being behind the incident and threatened to respond.
German airlines Lufthansa and French airlines Air France announced yesterday the suspension of their flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran and Beirut until September 19, in a decision that comes amid escalating tensions in the region.
The German company said in a statement: “Due to the recent change in the security situation, the Lufthansa Group has decided to suspend all flights to and from Tel Aviv and Tehran with immediate effect.”
“This order is valid until September 19 inclusive. During this period, Lufthansa Group airlines will avoid the airspace of Israel and Iran,” she explained.
Lufthansa stressed in its statement that it is closely monitoring the situation, “and will conduct a further assessment in the coming days.”
Hundreds of communication devices exploded in several areas in Lebanon yesterday, in an incident that resulted in the death of 9 people, including a child, and the injury of about 2,750, most of whom were Hezbollah members in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The Lufthansa Group, which also includes Swiss, Austrian and Brussels Airlines, has repeatedly adjusted its flight schedule in recent months due to rising tensions in the Middle East, like other airlines.
Last week, Lufthansa extended its suspension of flights to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, until October 15.
In turn, the French airline Air France said in a statement that “due to the security situation at the arrival stations, Air France is suspending its flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Beirut (Lebanon) and… Tel Aviv (Israel) until September 19, 2024 inclusive.”
She added that she “will assess the situation daily” in the Middle East, stressing that “the safety of our passengers and crew is the absolute priority.”
Air France had previously suspended flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
Air traffic adjustments
Below are some of the airlines that have made changes to their services to and from the region:
- Air AlgerieThe company has suspended its flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.
- Air BalticThe Latvian state-owned company said in an email on September 16 that it had resumed flights between Riga and Tel Aviv since September 17.
- Air France-KLM GroupAir France said on September 17 that it would suspend flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv until September 19.
KLM has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 26.
The Franco-Dutch group’s low-cost airline Transavia has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until March 31, 2025, and flights to Amman and Beirut until November 3. - Air IndiaAir India has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.
- Cathay PacificThe Hong Kong-based company has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until March 27, 2025.
- Delta AirlinesThe American company has suspended flights between New York and Tel Aviv until October 31.
- easyjetA spokesman for the British low-cost airline said the airline had suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv in April and would resume them on March 30, 2025.
- IAGSpanish low-cost carrier Vueling, owned by IAG, said in an emailed comment that it had cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until January 12, 2025. Flights to Amman were canceled until further notice, the company added.
- LotThe Polish airline said in an emailed comment on September 10 that it had suspended its flights to Lebanon until further notice, and that its flights to Tel Aviv were now operating regularly.
- Lufthansa Group:The German airline group said on September 17 that it had suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv as well as to Tehran until September 19.
Lufthansa resumed flights to Tel Aviv on September 5, while flights to Beirut remain suspended until September 30.
Swiss International Air Lines, also part of the Lufthansa Group, said separately it had suspended flights to Beirut until the end of October. - RyanairRyanair, Europe’s largest low-cost airline, has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 26 due to “operational constraints”.
- Zund AirThe German company has cancelled all flights between Bremen and Beirut until October 23.
- Sun ExpressSunExpress, a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, has suspended flights to Beirut until December 17.
- United AirlinesThe Chicago-based airline has suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future for security reasons.
Lebanese Domain Alerts
Britain has advised UK airlines not to enter Lebanese airspace from August 8 to November 4, citing a “potential risk to aviation from military activity”.
