Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv has canceled all
flights until further notice following Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, according
to the airport. In addition, Jordan closed its airspace, as did Iran and Iraq, according
to Reuters. “Thousands” of flights have been canceled or are
being diverted.
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines operate flights to Tel
Aviv, and each of those routes have been suspended. American Airlines had not
yet resumed flights between the U.S. and Tel Aviv.
“United will continue to monitor the situation and will
work to assist our customers through this disruption,” the carrier said in
a statement. “We arranged seats on El Al out of Tel Aviv for 26
crewmembers who were on layover and now on their way home safely.”
United’s Flight 84 from Newark Liberty International Airport
to Tel Aviv returned to Newark. Flight 90 on Thursday from Newark to Tel Aviv
had been canceled. Flight 91 had departed Tel Aviv for Newark when the closure
began, and the plane continued to Newark.
A company spokesperson emailed BTN that EWR-TLV
flights are suspended through June 30, 2025. The return flight, TLV-EWR will be
canceled through July 1. “We will continue to evaluate future
flights for the safety of our crew and customers,” they wrote.
Delta has paused its flights between New York’s John F.
Kennedy International Airport and Tel Aviv through Aug. 31, and has issued a travel waiver for customers affected during
that time.
“The safety of our customers and crew remains our top
priority,” Delta said in a statement. The carrier is “continuously
monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based
on security guidance and intelligence reports.”
Prior to Israel’s strikes on Iran, the U.S. State Department
pulled some personnel out of the Middle East, according
to Reuters.
On Wednesday, the State Department updated its travel
advisory for Iraq: “On June 11, the Department of State ordered the
departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel due to heightened regional
tensions.”
Per the U.S. embassy in Israel’s website, the department on
Thursday restricted U.S. government employees and their family members from
travel outside the greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Be’er Sheva regions until
further notice.
The State Department also had authorized voluntary
departures from Bahrain and Kuwait, according to Reuters.
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This story has been updated to include comments from Delta Air Lines.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
