Several airlines, including Lufthansa and Ryanair, have decided to suspend flights to Tel Aviv, the capital of Israel, for the time being.
The reason for the decision is a missile strike near Ben Gurion Airport. On Sunday, Houthi rebels from Yemen fired several rockets at the Israeli capital. One of them was not intercepted by the air defense system and struck near a busy road by a terminal. Reportedly, eight people were slightly injured. The Houthis warned airlines that Tel Aviv’s airport is “no longer safe for air traffic.”
In addition to Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines have also suspended their flights. Low-cost carriers such as Air Europa and Wizz Air are taking similar measures.
KLM and Transavia
KLM and Transavia had already suspended flights to Israel for some time due to ongoing tensions in the Middle East and earlier rocket attacks near the airport. Those rockets were primarily launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip. KLM had planned to resume flights to Tel Aviv starting in June, but it remains unclear whether Sunday’s incident will affect that schedule.
Resumption in 2024
In 2024, KLM resumed its flights to Tel Aviv during the summer schedule for the first time since the outbreak of the war. Unlike before, the airline temporarily included a stopover in Larnaca, on the island of Cyprus. In October, the flights were canceled again, and since then, KLM has not flown to Israel.