Israel: Thousands of passengers crowding Tel Aviv Airport to leave the country

Approximately 70,000 passengers are at Tel Aviv’s airport, many trying to catch the last flights out of Israel as more airlines suspend passenger and commercial flights to and from Tel Aviv due to escalating tensions in the Middle East, according to Israeli media.

Many fear further flight cancellations and that they won’t be able to return to their home countries.

To meet the increased demand at Tel Aviv International Airport, Israeli private airline Arkia announced today that it will operate additional round-trip flights from Tel Aviv to Athens on August 2 and 3, according to the Cyprus News Agency. There are currently no flight cancellations or schedule changes at Cyprus airports due to the situation in the Middle East, stated Maria Kouroupi, Director of Aviation Development and Communication at Hermes Airports.

Airlines Canceling Flights to and from Israel

Lufthansa and Fly Dubai became the latest airlines to join a growing list of carriers suspending all passenger and commercial flights to and from Tel Aviv.

So far, according to Israeli TV network Channel 12, seven airlines have already suspended flights to Ben Gurion Airport until further notice. These airlines include Delta, United Airlines, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Fly Dubai, and Air India.

The Cyprus News Agency reported that today’s Lufthansa flight LH682, which departed Munich this morning bound for Tel Aviv, ended up landing at Larnaca Airport, and the aircraft returned to Germany after the crew refused to continue to Israel.

According to Israeli public television, citing sources from the civil aviation authority of Tel Aviv International Airport, the passengers of the flight had been informed before departure from Munich that the plane would make a stopover in Larnaca “for a crew change.”

However, after landing in Cyprus, the passengers were surprised to learn from the plane’s pilot that Lufthansa did not authorize the continuation of the flight to Tel Aviv “for safety reasons.” The German company also announced the cancellation of flight LH683 from Tel Aviv to Munich.

Following Lufthansa’s example, Austrian Airlines also diverted its flight, and although its plane had already taken off from Vienna bound for Tel Aviv, the captain informed passengers that it would make a refueling stop in Bulgaria and then return to Vienna. The route change of Austrian Airlines was announced as due to “military activity in the area near Israeli national airspace.”

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