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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
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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.

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Two British Lawmakers Detained by Israel Return Home, Criticize Decision

A Palestinian flag is pictured during a symbolic funeral procession in solidarity with the people killed in Gaza and the West Bank, in Berlin, Germany, 06 April 2025. (EPA)
A Palestinian flag is pictured during a symbolic funeral procession in solidarity with the people killed in Gaza and the West Bank, in Berlin, Germany, 06 April 2025. (EPA)
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Two British Lawmakers Detained by Israel Return Home, Criticize Decision

A Palestinian flag is pictured during a symbolic funeral procession in solidarity with the people killed in Gaza and the West Bank, in Berlin, Germany, 06 April 2025. (EPA)
A Palestinian flag is pictured during a symbolic funeral procession in solidarity with the people killed in Gaza and the West Bank, in Berlin, Germany, 06 April 2025. (EPA)

Two British members of parliament who were refused entry to Israel have returned to London after attempting to visit the West Bank on a fact-finding trip, they said on Sunday.

Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang from Britain's governing Labor Party were travelling as part of a parliamentary delegation, but were stopped at the border on the grounds that they intended to provoke anti-Israel activities, according to the Israeli embassy in Britain.

The blocking of their visit marks the latest in a series of attempts by Israel to restrict entry of foreign lawmakers and dignitaries who have criticized the country's policies.

"We're astounded at the unprecedented step taken by the Israeli authorities to refuse British MPs entry on our trip to visit the occupied West Bank," Mohamed and Yang said in a joint statement.

"It is vital that parliamentarians are able to witness, firsthand the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory."

The Israeli embassy in London said the interior ministry had a duty to prevent entry to people who intended to cause the state harm.

"These individuals had accused Israel of false claims, were actively involved in promoting sanctions against Israeli ministers, and supported campaigns aimed at boycotting the State of Israel," the embassy said.

In their statement on Sunday, Mohamed and Yang said they had spoken out in Britain's parliament about the conflict between Israel and Palestine and the importance of complying with international law.

"Parliamentarians should feel free to speak truthfully in the House of Commons, without fear of being targeted," they said.

In November, Mohamed asked Britain's government if it would review its relationship with Israel in light of "atrocities taking place in Gaza, the West Bank and in Lebanon".

Yang had told parliament it was important that Britain proceeded with sanctions against Israeli government officials.

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the detention of lawmakers Mohamed and Yang was no way to treat parliamentarians.

Israel has previously stopped members of the European Parliament and US Congress from entering the country.

In October, Israel's foreign minister said he was barring UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country because he had not "unequivocally" condemned a missile attack by Iran on Israel.