Int'l airlines extend flights suspension to, from 'Israel'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
7 Sep 2024 12:05
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British low-cost carrier EasyJet announces it would halt all flights to "Israel" until March 29, 2025, citing the current security situation.

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Two planes are parked at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP)

Irish budget airline Ryanair has extended the suspension of its flights to and from "Israel" until October 26, delaying the previously scheduled resumption of service, the Jewish News Syndicate reported.

This comes amid an anticipated Iranian response to the Israeli assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran's capital, Tehran.

Initially, the airline had planned to restart operations at the end of September.

The Israeli channel Kan's website also noted that passengers have begun receiving notifications about flight cancellations to over 15 destinations in Europe, effective until further notice, in the hours following the announcement.

In the same vein, British low-cost carrier EasyJet announced it would halt all flights to "Israel" until March 29, 2025, citing the current security situation.

According to Israeli media reports, EasyJet offered full refunds to customers who had booked flights between late October 2023 and late March 2024.

EasyJet, one of the most active airlines at "Israel's" Ben Gurion Airport, initially suspended operations on October 7, 2023, following the start of the war on the Gaza Strip.

While the carrier briefly resumed flights in late March this year, it suspended them again in mid-April after Iran's retaliatory strike on "Israel". The airline had planned to resume service on October 27.

In the first nine months of 2023, EasyJet flew more than 640,000 passengers between major European cities and "Israel", according to the Israel Airports Authority.

US airlines also continue to suspend services for an extended period. Delta has suspended flights until the end of October, United until July 2025, and American Airlines until March 29, 2025.

Other airlines have followed suit, including Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific, a global aviation giant, which announced a full suspension of its flights to "Israel" until March 2025.

Additionally, several other airlines announced cancellations of all flights to and from "Israel" until the end of October, including Air India (the only foreign airline offering flights to the East), Air Canada, Spain's Vueling, Finland's Finnair, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Korean Air.