Foreign airlines halt Tel Aviv flights after Yemeni missile strike
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Following a ballistic missile strike from Yemen near Ben Gurion Airport, major airlines including Lufthansa, Delta, and Air France suspended flights to "Israel" citing security concerns.
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Israeli security forces inspect the site where the Israeli military said a projectile fired by Yemen's Ansar Allah landed in the area of Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Occupied Palestine on Sunday, May 4, 2025 (AP)
Major foreign airlines, including Lufthansa, Air France, Delta, and Wizz Air, canceled Tel Aviv flights on Sunday following a ballistic missile strike from Yemen that hit near Ben Gurion International Airport.
The Lufthansa group, including SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines, suspended all Ben Gurion Airport flights set to depart Sunday from Frankfurt, Vienna, Zurich, and Munich, with cancellations extending through Tuesday.
Lufthansa announced that due to the current situation, the Lufthansa Group has suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv through May 6, adding that affected passengers would be contacted and rebooked on alternative flights where possible.
Wizz Air stated it was canceling "Israel" flights until Tuesday morning while continuing to monitor the situation closely, as Spanish carrier Air Europa suspended its Madrid-Tel Aviv route, attributing the decision to security concerns.
Air France canceled its Sunday flights to Tel Aviv while TUS Airways suspended operations to and from Cyprus through May 5, as Air India halted all Tel Aviv routes until May 6, and British Airways extended cancellations through May 7.
ITA Airways announced the suspension of Rome-Tel Aviv flights until May 7, citing current circumstances, while Ryanair stated it was forced to cancel Tel Aviv routes due to operational restrictions beyond its control.
United Airlines joined the flight suspensions, halting its twice-daily New York-Tel Aviv route through May 8 while continuing to evaluate the developing situation, “We will make decisions on resuming service with a focus on the safety of our customers and crews,” the airline said in a statement.
Delta Air Lines canceled its Sunday afternoon flight from New York’s JFK airport to Ben Gurion, emphasizing that the safety and security of its customers and crews remain the top priority.
Yemen continues to carry out operations against 'Israel'
The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) launched a hypersonic ballistic missile targeting Ben Gurion airport in the occupied Palestinian territories, specifically aimed at Terminal 3, as confirmed in a Sunday statement by the YAF's spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree.
Israeli media reported on Sunday that a Yemen-launched missile hit near Terminal 3 of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, triggering visible smoke plumes, disrupting flights and nearby train traffic, and causing several injuries according to Magen David Adom emergency responders.
Saree stated that the missile bypassed the interception efforts of both US and Israeli defense systems, leading to the displacement of more than three million settlers.
Channel 12 reported that, according to the security establishment, neither the Arrow 3 nor the THAAD missile defense systems successfully intercepted the missile, raising alarm within the Israeli occupation over the safety of Ben Gurion Airport as concerns grow that airlines might suspend flights to the region.
A high-ranking Yemeni source told Al Mayadeen that despite the US deployment of dozens of satellites on Saada and other provinces, the United States has failed to neutralize the Yemeni Armed Forces' weapons, emphasizing that "No interception systems, regardless of their size or type, will be able to counter Yemen’s missiles."
