Delta Air Lines Extends Flight Cancellations to Israel Amid Growing War with Hezbollah.
Delta Air Lines has become the latest international carrier to extend its cancelation of flights to Israel, as the ongoing conflict in the country’s north with Hezbollah continues to escalate. Delta announced on Thursday that it will pause all flights between New York-JFK and Tel Aviv through December 31, citing increasing security concerns as the reason for this extension which was previously set to end on September 30.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been operating in Gaza for nearly a year now, while Israel’s war cabinet has recently approved new offensive operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. This growing instability has led various international carriers to reconsider their flight schedules to the region.
United Airlines announced earlier this month that it had removed all flights to Israel from its booking and scheduling system, stating that “Our flights to Tel Aviv remain suspended – we look forward to resuming flights as soon as it’s safe for our customers and crew.” The suspension began in early August.
While some European airlines have recently resumed operations to the region, the decision by United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines to halt their services to Tel Aviv has angered Israeli officials and pro-Israel pundits alike. Critics argue that this refusal to fly to Israel since the October 7 terrorist attack has led to a significant increase in flight fares for passengers traveling to the region, as well as an effective economic boycott of the country which ultimately benefits Iran, its sworn enemy.
These three major US carriers have upheld their nearly yearlong suspension of direct flights to Israel following the tragic Hamas massacre, leaving national carrier El Al as the only airline currently offering non-stop service between the two countries. As a result, prices for flights to Tel Aviv have risen almost threefold since the suspension began.
An Israeli publication has compiled a list of carriers that previously canceled their services to Tel Aviv, which includes.
This information is accurate as of September 12, 2024.
