Airline easyJet has suspended all of its flights to Israel for the next six months amid the fears of a larger war in the Middle East.
A huge number of scheduled journeys will no longer go ahead, with the ban on the air route in force until October 27, after easyJet placed a pause on services to Israel which was set to last until April 21. Customers with booked flights are being offered alternatives or refunds, while anyone planning to book a trip on easyJet's website will have to do so with other carriers.
The decision made today comes after Iran launched an air strike on Israel this past weekend - which involved 120 ballistic missiles, 170 drones and more than 30 cruise missiles, according to Israeli military officials. Reports say this was a retaliation for a suspected Israeli attack on April 1 to the Iranian consulate in Damascus in Syria, which killed 13 people.
An easyJet spokesperson said on Tuesday: “As a result of the continued evolving situation in Israel, easyJet has now taken the decision to suspend its flights to Tel Aviv for the remainder of the summer season. Customers booked to fly on this route up to this date are being offered options, including a full refund."
The company had previously suspended flights until April 21, but has now extended the ban for the entire summer season, perhaps predicting that the conflict in the region will continue to escalate, the Mirror reports.
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Following the missile and drone bombardment over the weekend, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq temporarily closed their airspaces, while Israel and Iran imposed restrictions on theirs. Although the countries either have reopened their airspaces subsequently - or are likely to do so - airlines have to make a decision about whether they'll fly to and over the region.
Many European and Asian airlines fly over the region on their way between a number of popular destinations in Asia. If they decide to reroute ticket prices may increase, as fuel costs and flight times are likely to rise. Deutsche Lufthansa, Qantas Airways and Singapore Airlines are all currently considering what to do, Euronews reports.
It is currently possible to fly from the UK to Israel, with Wizz Air, Vueling, El Al and Austrian Airlines all advertising flights departing today (April 16).
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Wizz Air said that it was "closely monitoring the situation with the relevant authorities and keeping its passengers informed of all schedule changes". "All passengers affected by the schedule changes will be provided with rebooking or refund options," it added.
German airline group Lufthansa suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv, Erbil and Amman up to and including Monday, with services due to restart today. Flights to Beirut and Tehran would remain suspended until at least 18 April, the aviation firm has said.
A spokesperson said: "The Lufthansa Group had already decided on Friday, 12 April, to fly around Iranian airspace up to and including Thursday, 18 April, and thus temporarily suspend flights to Tehran." Meanwhile, Dutch airline KLM has cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv until Tuesday.
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