Flights were canceled and disrupted after Iran’s attack on Israel

Flights were canceled and disrupted after Iran’s attack on Israel

Airline passengers face canceled or disrupted flights to Israel and surrounding countries after Iranian airstrikes over the weekend.

EasyJet has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv up to and including Sunday, April 21.

Wizz Air said it will resume flights to Israel on Tuesday, April 16 after suspending flights to Tel Aviv on Sunday and Monday.

However, it warned: “Passengers may experience some schedule changes.”

Wizz Air said that it was “monitoring the situation closely with the relevant authorities and ensuring that its passengers are informed of all schedule changes”.

“All passengers affected by the schedule change will be given the option of rebooking or refund,” he added.

Israel closed its airspace on Saturday evening after Iran launched its first direct attack on the country. Iran launched drones and missiles at Israel in retaliation for an attack on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus on April 1, which killed several senior Iranian commanders.

Israel has not said it carried out the consulate strike, but is widely believed to be behind it.

Israel reopened its airspace early Sunday morning as did Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon, which had suspended flights for a period.

German airline group Lufthansa said it had suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv, Erbil and Amman up to and including Monday, but said they would resume on Tuesday.

However, it said that flights to Beirut and Tehran will remain suspended until at least April 18.

A spokesman said: “The Lufthansa Group has decided on Friday, April 12, to fly around Iranian airspace up to and including Thursday, April 18, and thus temporarily suspend flights to Tehran.”

Meanwhile, KLM canceled all flights to and from Tel Aviv until Tuesday.

The flight was rerouted
Other airlines are rerouting their flights which can add time to travel. Australia’s Qantas said its plane changed course to avoid Iranian airspace.

Virgin Atlantic said: “We do not currently fly to Iraq, Iran, or Israel, but we continue to monitor the situation for any potential impact on our operations.

“The safety and security of our customers and the public is and always will be paramount. We apologize for any inconvenience customers experience with slightly longer flight times.”

The airline stopped flying to Israel last year but a spokesman said it aimed to resume flights in September.

British Airways said there would be flights to Tel Aviv on Monday, but added it was keeping the situation under review.

The UK flag carrier, owned by International Airlines Group (IAG), resumed flights to Israel earlier this month after suspending travel last October.

It has been operating four flights a week to Israel since early April. The plane stopped at Larnaca in Cyprus where there was a crew change to avoid staff spending the night in Tel Aviv. Flights then operate non-stop from Tel Aviv to the UK.

Iberia Express, also owned by IAG, canceled flights to Tel Aviv on Sunday and Monday.

Finnair said it had suspended operations in Iranian airspace until further notice. Flights from Doha will reroute to Egypt which, a spokesman said, would result in delays of “several minutes”.

The European Union’s Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) reiterated its previous guidance to airlines to exercise caution in Israeli and Iranian airspace.

“The European Commission and EASA will continue to monitor the situation closely to assess any potential safety risks for EU aircraft operators and be prepared to act accordingly,” he said.

Qatar Airways said it had resumed flights to Iran, flying to Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz and Isfahan. “The safety and security of our passengers remains our priority,” he said.