FCC

Israel attack forces major airlines to suspend flights

2023-10-11

Major international air carriers announced the suspension or reduction of flights to or from Tel Aviv. Additionally, Russia prohibited night flights to Israel. This decision came after Hamas militants executed a surprise attack over the weekend, raising concerns about safety and the potential escalation of conflict.

According to Flightradar24, a flight tracking website, approximately 50% of the scheduled Tel Aviv flights were non-operational on Sunday. By Monday evening, a third of the flights had been cancelled.

In response to the situation, US air carriers United Airlines and American Airlines decided to suspend their direct flights to Israel. This action was taken following the Federal Aviation Administration's recommendation for airlines to be cautious. Delta Air Lines also announced the cancellation of flights to and from Israel until the end of the month.

Several European airlines followed suit, cancelling their flights to Israel as well. However, Israel's national carrier, El Al, stood as an exception. Instead of reducing operations, El Al increased the number of flights. Their goal was to bring back reservists from various parts of the world to support the country's largest mobilization effort in history.