British low-cost airline easyJet announced the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until April 21, joining several other carriers that grounded their flights to Israel following the Iranian attack on the country.
The airline reportedly notified affected passengers via SMS and email. EasyJet resumed flights to Israel last month for the first time since the October 7 attack with routes to London (Luton), Amsterdam, Berlin, Basel, Geneva and Milan.
Israel's airspace reopened at 7:30 a.m. Sunday after being closed for seven hours in anticipation of missile and drone attacks from Iran. On Monday, the Israel Airports Authority reported that Ben Gurion Airport is expected to process approximately 44,400 passengers on 267 international flights throughout the day, with a total of 22,800 departing passengers and 21,600 arrivals. The Airports Authority recommends passengers follow the updated flight schedule on its website and with their carriers.
El Al announced on Monday it was "working to stabilize the flight schedule as soon as possible." The Israeli flag carrier and its subsidiary Sun D'Or canceled 34 flights so far.
Additionally, El Al announced that it offers convenient and fixed prices for one-way flights to Israel, allowing Israeli passengers whose flights with foreign airlines have been canceled to return home. The economy class prices will be valid until Saturday, April 20. The full list of destinations is available on the El Al website. Tickets can be booked on the El Al website and through travel agents.
During the Iranian attack, El Al announced that it would allow its customers a flexible flight change. "All passengers whose flights are scheduled to depart until Saturday, April 20, are entitled to the following conditions: changes to the flight date will be allowed without any fees and fare differences, provided that the new departure date is until Saturday, April 20, or receiving EL AL credit for a canceled flight to be used in the future."
Arkia Airlines said "With the resumption of Ben Gurion Airport operations, Arkia is working to stabilize the international flight schedule. All domestic flights for Monday have been canceled. Updates on changes will be sent to relevant passengers, and real-time information will be updated on the website. Arkia continues to operate according to the instructions of the Defense Ministry and the Israel Airports Authority."
Israir said, "With the reopening of Ben Gurion Airport, Israir is resuming international flights and is working to implement a flight schedule for the coming days. Detailed updates regarding flights will be sent to relevant passengers. We ask passengers to stay informed about expected changes in the flight schedule on the Israir website and social networks. In addition, the change and cancellation policy until April 20 is detailed on the company's website."
Air France canceled its flights to and from Israel on April 15 and offers a flexible changes policy until April 22. The Lufthansa Group, including Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines, announced it was suspending flights to Tel Aviv, Amman, Beirut and Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, at least until Monday. Additionally, the Lufthansa Group announced that it will avoid flights over the airspace of Israel, Jordan and Iraq for the foreseeable future.
Wizz Air announced the cancellation of flights to Tel Aviv and Eilat. "Wizz Air has been forced to cancel most of its flights to/from Tel-Aviv on 13th, 14th and 15th April, 2024 due to the constantly evolving situation in Israel. We are closely monitoring the situation and maintaining regular contact with the local authorities to ensure the highest level of safety and security for our customers and our crew.
"In the event of a flight cancellation, we will immediately contact you by email to inform you about your options. Due to the high volume of incoming calls that this situation has generated in our Customer Service phone lines, we highly recommend that you follow the instructions on our email and access your Wizz account to self-manage your booking."