In response to Saturday’s declaration of war in Israel due to an unprecedented attack by the militant group Hamas, airlines have taken the precautionary measure of canceling numerous flights to and from Tel Aviv.
This move, which affected over 80 flights by Saturday evening, accounts for approximately 14% of all scheduled flights, as reported by FlightAware.
The decision to cancel flights was made primarily due to concerns over the security and safety of passengers and crew members in light of the ongoing hostilities in the region.
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Among the airlines that took this action were Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, which canceled flights departing from New York’s JFK Airport to Tel Aviv on both Saturday night and Sunday night. However, it is worth noting that a Delta return flight from Tel Aviv was able to depart on Saturday night.
United Airlines was also impacted by the situation, with the cancellation of a Saturday flight departing from San Francisco. Another United flight, which had initially set out from San Francisco, encountered difficulties and was forced to turn around over Greenland, subsequently returning to San Francisco.
The cancellations extended beyond U.S. carriers, as German carrier Lufthansa decided to cancel several flights connecting Frankfurt and Tel Aviv. These measures reflect the airline industry’s commitment to prioritizing passenger and crew safety amid the ongoing security concerns in the region.