US airlines Delta and United announced on Wednesday that they will no longer be flying to Israel due to the escalations in the region.
British Airways, Austrian Airways, and Lufthansa also made the similar announcements, meaning that some of the world’s largest airlines are no longer flying to Israel for the time being, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
The world is watching while the Middle East is bracing for the possibility of a more far-spread war. Several airlines have been canceling their flights amid Israel’s fight against terror group Hamas and military confrontations with Iran and its proxies.
Flights to Israel have been on and off with airlines canceling flights to Tel Aviv after October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill nearly 1,200 people and kidnap 251, sparking the war. Flights resumed in March, only to be stopped again in April after Iran’s unprecedented missile-and-drone strike on Israel. Flights resumed flights in April, May and June, but have been canceled again.
I sincerely hope that the relevant authorities and stakeholders are able to work quickly to resolve the issues and restore normalcy to air travel in the region.