Air India Suspends Tel Aviv Flights Until August 8 Amid Middle East Tensions

Air India on Friday announced the suspension of all flights to and from Tel Aviv, effective immediately until August 8, due to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. The airline is closely monitoring the situation and is offering a one-time waiver on rescheduling and cancellation fees for passengers.

“In view of the ongoing situation in parts of the Middle East, we have suspended scheduled operation of our flights to and from Tel Aviv with immediate effect up to and including 08 August 2024,” Air India said in a post on X. “We are continuously monitoring the situation and are extending support to our passengers with confirmed bookings for travel to and from Tel Aviv during this period, with a one-time waiver on rescheduling and cancellation charges,” it added.

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The Air India cancellation follows as the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) was on ‘high alert’ amid an antiquated response to the assassinations of Hezbollah’s military chief in Beirut and Hamas’s leader. On Wednesday, Ismail Haniyeh was killed shortly after attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president in Tehran. While Israel has not claimed responsibility, Iran has accused the US of involvement and threatened retaliation.

This assassination follows the killing of Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut just a day earlier. Shukur’s death came after a rocket attack in the Golan Heights that killed 12 people, an incident Hezbollah denied responsibility for. The situation remains tense, with both Hamas and Hezbollah promising to retaliate against Israel.

More Cancellations

Airlines are avoiding Iranian and Lebanese airspace and cancelling flights to Israel and Lebanon, as concerns grow over a possible conflict in the region after the killing of senior members of militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah this week.

According to flight tracker Flightradar24, Singapore Airlines appeared to no longer be using Iranian airspace for any of its routes. Taiwan’s EVA Air and China Airlines also appeared to be avoiding Iran airspace for flights to Amsterdam on Friday which previously had flown over Iran.

Many airlines, including US and European airlines, already avoid flying over Iran, especially since the reciprocal missile and drone attacks in April between Iran and Israel. Singapore Airlines’ flight to London Heathrow early on Friday went north of Iran through Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, rather than crossing through Iran as it did the day before, Flightradar24 showed. Over the past two days, Germany’s Lufthansa Group, US carriers United Airlines and Delta Air, and Italy’s ITA Airways said they had suspended flights to Tel Aviv.

(With agency inputs)