American Airlines cancels Israel flights until Dec 4

Washington: American Airlines announced that it was cancelling all flights to Israel’s main international airport until December 4 “as a result of the current operating environment”.

The airline operates flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, located less than 40 miles from Gaza, reports CNN.

“We will continue working closely with our partner airlines to offer assistance to those looking to exit TLV with safety and security remaining our highest priorities,” American Airlines said in a statement late Tuesday. 

The airline said it has also “extended our travel alert providing additional flexibility to customers whose travel plans are impacted by this adjustment”.

On Monday, Delta Air Lines, which operates flights to Israel from Atlanta, JFK, and Boston, said it was canceling flights for the rest of October. 

The State Department said on Tuesday that it has been encouraging airlines “to consider resuming travel in and out of Israel”.

Since Israel declared a war on Hamas as retaliation against the militant group’s unpredented attack on October 7, multiple airlines have cancelled or suspended flights to the Jewish nation.

While Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific canceled its Tuesday flight to and from Tel Aviv, Air Canada announced the suspension of all its flights for now.

Ireland’s Ryanair said it was canceling flights in and out of Tel Aviv until October 11, citing operational restrictions.

Air India and Lufthansa announced that they were canceling flights until October 14, and Norwegian Air said it is canceling flights until October 15.

Korean Air canceled one of its three regularly scheduled weekly flights into Tel Aviv on Monday, but the South Korean flag carrier said it is planning on flying a 218-seat plane from Tel Aviv and to Incheon on Tuesday in order to bring Korean nationals back home.