DUBAI – World-famous airline, Emirates has announced suspension of all flights to and from Tel Aviv, Israel.
In an official press release on Friday, the carrier announced that they were ‘closely monitoring the situation in Israel’ and were in close contact with the relevant authorities.
‘Customers with onward connections to Tel Aviv on Emirates flights will not be accepted for travel at their point of origin until further notice,’ the carrier announced.
The carrier directed the affected customers to contact their booking agents for alternatives, refunds, cancellations or for rebooking their flight itineraries.
‘Customers are requested to ensure their contact details are correct by visiting Manage Your Booking to receive updates,’ the firm said.
It bears mentioning that a number of airlines suspended operations to Israel after fresh conflict that erupted in October.
As the violence began, German airline Lufthansa announced to cut flights to Israel following the conflict which has drawn international attention.
“Given the current security situation in Tel Aviv,” Lufthansa will maintain a single flight to Frankfurt but “all other Lufthansa flights to and from Tel Aviv have been canceled for this Saturday,” the carrier said.
Moreover, Austrian Airlines, Swiss Air and Turkish Airlines were also among the carriers to cancel flights to and from Israel.
Additionally, Wizz Air also diverted multiple flights that were en route to Israel when the confrontation started. Airbus jets from Catania, Cluj, Debrecen and Warsaw all diverted to Larnaca, the airport on the island of Cyprus; a United Airlines flight to Tel Aviv was also diverted back to San Francisco as the tension escalated.
Meanwhile, the State Department also issued an urgent security alert for Israel, informing US citizens to “remain vigilant” and to “take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness”.
The severity of the conflict can be assessed from the fact that a Wizz Air flight from Rome to Tel Aviv turned around and flew back to its starting point; the same happened with an Anadulojet service from Istanbul when the fresh tension began.
Though the Emirates has announced the suspension, normalcy seems to be returning to the region as an agreement has been signed between the two sides that would ensure a pause of fighting for four days and exchange of captives and prisoners.
