Approximately 150,000 Israelis are stranded abroad following the suspension of international flights to Tel Aviv, as reported by Israel’s Channel 12 on Sunday. This development comes amid escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, which have led to significant disruptions in air travel.
Since last Monday, 20 international airlines have canceled their flights to and from Tel Aviv. Some airlines have suspended their operations for a few days, while others have imposed indefinite suspensions. The Lufthansa Group, which owns Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, and Swiss, has suspended all flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran, and Beirut until August 12. Flights to Amman and Erbil are also canceled until Wednesday, August 7.
ITA Airways has also halted its flights to Tel Aviv until Tuesday, August 6, citing the safety of its passengers and crews as the primary concern. KLM, which had previously suspended flights to Israel until August 31, has extended the suspension to October 26. Major US carriers, including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, have continued their suspension of flights to Tel Aviv.
In contrast to the prevailing trend, Ethiopian Airlines has announced the resumption of its flights to Israel, making it a notable exception among the nearly 20 carriers that have recently suspended their services.
Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport has reported a 20% decrease in passenger traffic, reflecting the impact of the flight cancellations. Despite this drop, several foreign airlines continue to operate flights in and out of Israel, including Flydubai, Etihad Airways, Bluebird Airways, and Israeli carriers such as EL AL.
