United and Delta Air Lines Cut Flights to Tel Aviv
by Daniel McCarthy
After returning to Tel Aviv earlier this summer, both United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have made the decision to suspend flights into the city from the U.S. because of security concerns in Israel.
United said on Wednesday that it will suspend flights into the city from Newark Liberty (EWR) and is evaluating the next steps, while Delta said flights between JFK International (JFK) and Tel Aviv will be paused through at least Aug. 2.
“Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports and will communicate any updates as needed,” Delta, which also issued a travel waiver for flights into Tel Aviv through Aug. 14, said on Wednesday.
The moves come after the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran, which prompted Iranian officials to meet with allies in the region to discuss potential retaliation against Israel, according to Reuters.
On Thursday morning, a Lufthansa Airlines flight from Munich to Tel Aviv was forced to land in Cyprus because the crew refused to fly into Israel amid the growing tensions. The flight eventually returned to Germany and Lufthansa then cancelled a pair of upcoming flights into Israel from Frankfurt.
Lufthansa has since canceled all flights to and from Tel Aviv through August 8.
