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Iran: On Friday, Air India, the Tata group-owned carrier, suspended all its flights to and from Tel Aviv till April 30, 2024 in the wake of the emerging situation in the middle-east amid rising tensions between regional powers Israel and Iran.
In a statement, Air India said,”Our flights to and from Tel Aviv will remain suspended until 30th April 2024, in view of the emerging situation in the Middle East. We are continuously monitoring the situation and are extending support to our passengers who have confirmed bookings for travel to and from Tel Aviv during this period, with a one-time waiver on rescheduling and cancellation charges. We would like to reiterate that at Air India, the safety of our customers and crew remains top priority.”
Air India said the safety of its customers and crew remains its top priority and is continuously monitoring the situation. Just last Sunday, an Air India official had said direct flights between Delhi and Tel Aviv were suspended for the time being.
In a separate post, the airline also announced the cancellation of flights from Dubai Airport following the flood-like situation after heavy downpours. Notably, the Tata Group-owned airline resumed its services to the Israeli capital on March 3 after a gap of nearly five months.
Air India was the first to suspend flights to and from Tel Aviv from October 7, 2023, in the wake of Hamas’ attack on the Israeli city.Air India operates four weekly flights between the national capital and the Israeli city.
In recent times, several international passenger airline companies have suspended their flights for the same reason. On April 15, German airline group Lufthansa also suspended flights to at least Amman, Beirut, Erbil and Tel Aviv after Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel.
Air India, Vistara, IndiGo and some international airlines are avoiding Iranian airspace and have opted for alternative paths for their flights to the West. UAE-based Etihad Airways has also cancelled its services to Tel Aviv and Amman. Emirates Airlines also cancelled some of its flights and rerouted others due to the temporary airspace closure in the region from late evening on April 13 to early morning on April 15.
