Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has said international flights continue to operate to and from Israel following attacks on the country by Hamas over the weekend. The CAA said that currently “the Israeli airlines are operating as usual”. The organisation added that currently “there are still international flights to and from Israel by many airlines”.
However, a number of airlines worldwide have cancelled or delayed flights in response to the situation, and cargo carriers have warned of potential disruption to shipments.
- FedEx said on its website on October 9: “In light of the events unfolding in Israel, our inbound and outbound flights to the country have been temporarily suspended 9th – 10th October 2023”.
- UPS also warned of potential delays in an alert on its website. It said: “Service disruptions may occur due to the current situation in Israel. We have contingency plans in place to move shipments that are already in Israel to their destinations as quickly as it is safe to do so, and we continue monitoring the situation closely.”
- Meanwhile, Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP) said: “AF and KLM have postponed all flights to/from TLV until further notice. This also means that TLV will be closed for all cargo operations with immediate effect and until 16th October.”
- German carrier Lufthansa also said on its website: “Due to the still unclear situation in Israel and after intensive analysis of the situation, Lufthansa has decided to suspend its regular flights to and from Tel Aviv up to and including Saturday (14th October).”
Other airlines that have cancelled flights include Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, Air Canada, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic.
Air operators are recommended to ensure that a robust risk assessment is in place together with a high level of contingency planning for their operations and to be ready for short notice instructions from the Israeli authorities.