A rocket attack carried out on 28 July on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights region killed 12 children and teenagers. The attack was believed to be carried out by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and, in response, Israel fired drone and jet attacks in the south of Lebanon and close to the Bekaa Valley. Then, Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr was assassinated in Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday and Hamas’ political bureau chief and lead peace negotiator Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran, on 31 July.
In this landscape, airlines started suspending flights to Israel and Lebanon and avoiding Iranian airspace, opting for longer routes to avoid any possible encounter with war drones or missiles. Most carriers initially announced short halts, but, as the conflict continues, the suspensions are being extended.
Initially announcing a flight suspension to Tel Aviv and Beirut only until 9 August, the Lufthansa Group, which includes Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Lufthansa and Swiss Airlines, has now extended the halt until at least 26 August. “Based on its current security analysis, Lufthansa Group is again adjusting its services to the Middle East”, the company said in a statement.
Besides Lufthansa, Delta Air Lines, which initially said it will halt flights until 6 August, has extended the suspension until the end of the month, on the 31st. Wizz Air, initially only suspending flights until 4 August, is continuing the halt with no new deadline this time “due to the escalating situation in the region”.
In addition to extended suspensions, new airlines have stopped flying to the region. Ryaniar, which initially kept flying to Tel Aviv, has now suspended flights at least until 30 September, while American Airlines now has one of the longest notices, at least until April 2025.
Other airlines had a more extended suspension from the beginning, with KLM until at least 26 October and LOT Polish Airlines and United Airlines both until further notice.
Meanwhile, airlines suspending flights to the Lebanese capital of Beirut include Air France, the Lufthansa group, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Air, Aegean Airlines and Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines.
All of these airlines have also stopped flying to Iranian airspace, as well as Singapore Airlines, Taiwan’s EVA Air and China Airlines. On the other hand, Turkish Airlines, United Arab Emirates carriers Etihad, Emirates and FlyDubai, as well as Qatar Airways continue flying over Iran.
