Major airlines cancel flights to Israel over safety fears after hundreds killed in bloody violence
A NUMBER of major airlines have cancelled flights to Israel over safety fears after terrorist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Saturday.
Hundreds have been left dead after Hamas “opened the gates of hell” near the Gaza border before taking dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers hostage.
And after Israel launched retaliatory strikes – reportedly killing 232 Palestinians – major airlines have taken the decision to cancel scheduled flights.
That includes Wizz Air, who have cancelled their Sunday flights to and from Tel Aviv.
The airline runs from Luton Airport and London Gatwick Airport, with planes landing at Ben Gurion Airport – 12 miles south of Tel Aviv.
A Wizz Air spokesperson said: “Due to the situation in Israel, we have cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv on Sunday 8th October.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and are in touch with the relevant authorities.
“The safety and security of our passengers and crew is our number one priority and all affected passengers will be contacted via email or text.”
Wizz Air also cancelled a flight that was supposed to land from Sofia at 4.25pm, on Saturday, as well as a flight from Vilnius that was supposed to land at 18.40pm.
EasyJet also cancelled a flight from Amsterdam that was supposed to land at 1.10pm.
However, the latest travel information on their website states that Ben Gurion Airport is currently open and flights to Tel Aviv are operating as planned.
Their next direct flights from Luton are scheduled for Monday.
Ryanair has cancelled flights to Berlin, Milan, Brussels and other destinations.
It comes after all aircraft headed back to their original destinations on Saturday, according to information obtained by Aviation24.be.
Spanish airline Iberia cancelled a flight from Madrid to Israel that was scheduled to land at 5.25pm, while German airline Lufthansa have cancelled their flights from Frankfurt and Munich for the rest of the weekend.
Lufthansa will, however, maintain a single flight to Frankfurt from Tel Aviv but “all other Lufthansa flights to and from Tel Aviv have been cancelled for this Saturday”, a spokesman told AFP.
Alll Delta Airlines flights that were supposed to leave on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, from the US to Israel, are cancelled.
The Walla news site says Swiss Air, Austrian Airlines, Air India and Turkish Airlines are among the companies to cancel flights to and from Israel.
Shortly after the attack, several aircraft heading for Tel Aviv were diverted to Larnaca airport in Cyprus.
The Israel Airports Authority have announced that airports in the south and centre of the country are closed to private and tourism flights.
The Ben Gurion Airport remains open in accordance with the security and safety guidelines.