Israel guarantees airspace is ‘completely safe’ as more than 10 airlines cancel flights

Israeli authorities assured on Friday that the country’s airspace remains safe, while more than 10 airlines announced the cancellation of flights to and from the country.

The head of the country’s Civil Aviation Authority, Samuel Zakai, stressed that Israel’s airspace “remains absolutely safe” based on an analysis conducted by Israeli authorities as well as global regulators such as the Federal Aviation Authority and its European counterpart.

Unlike the situation in Lebanon, these authorities did not instruct airlines to stop flying to Israel, he said.

Zakai added that Israel has demonstrated that when airspace is deemed unsafe, it is closed, as happened on April 13 and 14 when Iran launched an unprecedented attack using missiles and drones.

“This has given us great credibility internationally,” the official added.

In a statement, the Israel Airports Authority said the airlines’ decision to suspend or reduce flights was “due to internal reasons.” “Travelers should be aware that their return to Israel may be delayed and should stay updated on the status of their flights,” it added.

More than a dozen airlines have announced temporary suspensions of their flights to Israel, while others have canceled their flights until at least the weekend due to a possible imminent attack by Iran or Hezbollah.

A possible escalation of violence could come after the deaths of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Lebanese Shiite military leader Fouad Shukr in Beirut.

Zakai said that as of yesterday afternoon, about 70,000 travelers flew to and from Israel on flights from about 60 different airlines.

“The cancellations are significant,” he acknowledged.

The Lufthansa Group, which includes Lufthansa, Swiss Airlines, Brussel Airlines, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings, announced on Thursday that it would cancel flights to Israel until August 9, while Italy’s ITA Airways also announced it would suspend flights until at least August 6.

North American United and British Airways have also temporarily suspended flights to and from Israel with no set date for resumption.

Air India, Delta and FlyDubai have cancelled flights to Israel scheduled for Thursday afternoon and evening, but plan to resume flights this Friday.

For now, Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia plan to continue operating their flights as usual and may even add connections to help Israelis stranded abroad due to flight cancellations by other airlines.