Global carriers ground flights to Israel as airspace shuts down during Iran offensive

After launching a major offensive operation against nuclear sites and taking out several key leaders in the Iranian regime, Israel has not only closed its airspace, but according to Israel’s Channel 12 News, has also decided to keep the airport closed for 3-4 days. A representative from the Airports Authority informed The Times of Israel that no formal announcement or estimate has been released.

Citing “assessments of the situation,” the Lufthansa Group – which encompasses Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings – says it is adjusting its Middle East flight schedule and suspending flights to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport until July 31.

The group further states that, due to “operational reasons,” SWISS flights to and from Tel Aviv will be suspended until the end of the summer season, lasting through Oct. 25 of this year.

This decision comes shortly after the airline group had only recently resumed flights to Israel. Lufthansa added that it “regrets the inconvenience caused to its customers as a result of the situation.”

The Air France-KLM group says it has been compelled to cancel all flights to and from Israel “due to the security situation in Israel and the closure of airspace,” and that the suspension will remain in effect until further notice.

“We are constantly monitoring developments and will update accordingly as soon as it is possible to resume operations,” read the statement. Affected passengers are advised to reach out to customer service to reschedule their flights or request a refund, in line with the company’s policy.

Meanwhile, Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air is notifying travelers of flight cancellations and disruptions, citing “ongoing regional developments.”

Last month, in a joint letter to Transportation Minister Miri Regev, signatories called for legal reforms, arguing that existing aviation laws were not designed to address prolonged uncertainty like the ongoing war with Iran and its terror proxies.

In early May, most airlines canceled their flights to and from Israel after a missile fired from Yemen by the Iranian-backed Houthi terror group landed close to Ben Gurion Airport. It was the first time that a Houthi missile succeeded in evading Israel’s advanced and multilayered aerial defense system. While the damage was minimal, there are growing concerns that another missile could potentially hit the airport’s main terminal and cause multiple fatalities and injuries.

In response to Israel's strike on Iran in the early hours of Friday morning, Israel reportedly moved its commercial airplanes out of Israel and diverted planes already en route.