Airlines Suspend Flights as Middle East Tensions Rise

The empty arrival hall at the The Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon, 03 October 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
The empty arrival hall at the The Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon, 03 October 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Airlines Suspend Flights as Middle East Tensions Rise

The empty arrival hall at the The Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon, 03 October 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
The empty arrival hall at the The Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon, 03 October 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Concerns over a wider conflict in the Middle East have prompted international airlines to suspend flights to the region or to avoid affected air space.
Below are some of the airlines that have adjusted services to and from the region:
AEGEAN AIRLINES The Greek airline canceled flights to and from Beirut until Nov. 6 and to and from Tel Aviv until Nov. 5.
AIRBALTIC Latvia's airBaltic canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Oct. 31.
AIR ALGERIE The Algerian airline suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.
AIR EUROPA The Spanish airline canceled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 20.
AIR FRANCE-KLM Air France extended its suspension of Paris-Tel Aviv flights until Oct. 22 and Paris-Beirut flights until Oct. 26. KLM extended the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until the end of this year at least. The Franco-Dutch group's low-cost unit Transavia canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Beirut until end-March.
AIR INDIA The Indian flag carrier suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.
BULGARIA AIR The Bulgarian carrier canceled flights to and from Israel until Oct. 31.
CATHAY PACIFIC Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific canceled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 25, 2025.
DELTA AIR LINES The US carrier paused flights between New York and Tel Aviv through March 2025.
EASYJET The UK budget airline stopped flying to and from Tel Aviv in April and will resume flights on March 30.
EGYPTAIR The Egyptian carrier on Sept. 24 suspended flights to Beirut until "the situation stabilizes".
EMIRATES UAE's state-owned airline canceled flights to Beirut through Oct. 31 and flights to Baghdad and Tehran until Oct. 23. Basra flights were set to resume from Oct. 17.
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES The Ethiopian carrier suspended flights to Beirut until further notice, it said in a Facebook post on Oct. 4.
FLYDUBAI The Emirati airline suspended Dubai-Beirut flights until Oct. 31, a flydubai spokesperson said.
IAG IAG-owned British Airways canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv through Oct. 26.
IAG's low-cost airline Iberia Express canceled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 31, while Vueling canceled operations to Tel Aviv until Jan. 12 and to Amman until further notice.
IRAN AIR The Iranian airline canceled Beirut flights until further notice.
IRAQI AIRWAYS The Iraqi national carrier suspended flights to Beirut until further notice.
ITA AIRWAYS The Italian carrier extended the suspension of Tel Aviv flights through Nov. 30.
LOT The Polish flag carrier canceled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 26, while its first scheduled flight to Beirut is planned for April 1.
LUFTHANSA GROUP The German airline group suspended flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran until Oct. 31 and to Beirut until Nov. 30.
It will not use Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice, aside from a corridor used for flights to and from Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. Israeli airspace will not be used until Oct. 31.
SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, suspended flights to Beirut through Dec. 17.
PEGASUS The Turkish airline canceled flights to Beirut until Oct. 28.
QATAR AIRWAYS The Qatari airline temporarily suspended flights to and from Iraq, Iran and Lebanon, while flights to Amman will operate during daylight hours only.
RYANAIR Europe's biggest budget airline canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv until the end of December. Group CEO Michael O'Leary on Oct. 3 said the suspension was likely to be extended until end-March.
SUNDAIR The German airline canceled flights to Beirut from Berlin until Dec. 8, Bremen until March 26, and Muenster/Osnabrueck until March 29.
UNITED AIRLINES The Chicago-based airline suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future.
TAROM Romania's flag carrier extended the suspension of Beirut flights until Oct. 22.
VIRGIN ATLANTIC The UK carrier extended suspension of Tel Aviv flights until end-March.
WIZZ AIR The Hungary-based airline suspended Tel Aviv flights through Jan. 14.



Netanyahu and Trump to Talk Tariffs, Iran and Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes to Washington direct from a visit to Hungary. Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes to Washington direct from a visit to Hungary. Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP
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Netanyahu and Trump to Talk Tariffs, Iran and Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes to Washington direct from a visit to Hungary. Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes to Washington direct from a visit to Hungary. Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP

Talks on Monday between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump are expected to be dominated by Washington's shock tariffs on Israel and escalating tensions with Iran.

Netanyahu becomes the first foreign leader to meet with Trump in the US capital since the president unveiled sweeping levies on multiple countries in his "Liberation Day" announcement on Wednesday.

Arriving in Washington direct from a visit to Hungary, Netanyahu's chief objective will be to persuade Trump to reverse the decision, or at the very least to reduce the 17 percent levy set to be imposed on Israeli imports before it takes effect.

Before leaving Budapest, Netanyahu said his discussions would include a range of issues, including "the tariff regime that has also been imposed on Israel".

"I'm the first international leader, the first foreign leader who will meet with President Trump on a matter so crucial to Israel's economy," he said in a statement.

"I believe this reflects the special personal relationship and the unique bond between the United States and Israel, which is so vital at this time."

Analysts said Netanyahu will seek to secure an exemption from the tariffs for Israel.

"The urgency (of the visit) makes sense in terms of stopping it before it gets institutionalized," said Jonathan Rynhold, head of political studies at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv.

Such an exemption would not only benefit Trump's closest Middle East ally but also "please Republicans in Congress, whose voters care about Israel, but are unwilling to confront Trump on this at this point," he said.

Israel had attempted to avoid the new levy by moving preemptively a day before Trump's announcement and lifting all remaining duties on the one percent of American goods still affected by them.

But Trump still went ahead with his new policy, saying the United States had a significant trade deficit with Israel, a top beneficiary of US military aid.

Gaza truce, hostages

The Israeli leader's US trip is "also a way for Netanyahu to play the game and show Trump that Israel is going along with him," said Yannay Spitzer, a professor of economics at Hebrew University.

"I would not be surprised if there is an announcement of some concession for Israel... and this will be an example for other countries."

Netanyahu will also discuss the war in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli hostages still held in the Palestinian territory, and the growing "threat from Iran", his office said.

Israel resumed air strikes on Gaza on March 18, ending nearly two months of ceasefire with Hamas that had been brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.

Efforts to restore the truce have since failed, with more than 1,330 people killed in renewed Israeli air and ground operations, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory.

Palestinian Hamas group there still hold 58 hostages, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

On Iran, Trump has been pressing for "direct talks" with Tehran on a new deal to curb its nuclear program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday rejected the idea of direct negotiations with the United States as "meaningless".

There has been widespread speculation that Israel, possibly with US help, might attack Iranian facilities if no agreement is reached.