Lufthansa to Resume Flights to Israel While Delta Extends Suspension of Flights

(The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS/Hamodia) − Lufthansa Airlines announced plans to restart flights from Frankfurt and Munich to Tel Aviv beginning January 8. Service has been suspended since October 9, after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7 and war broke out, threatening flights in the area, Times of Israel reported

The airline will initially “offer a total of 20 weekly connections to and from Tel Aviv,” a Lufthansa statement said. “This corresponds to around 30 percent of the regular flight schedule.”

Austrian Airlines and SWISS will also restart the service.

Flights to Beirut, which Lufthansa suspended on October 13, were resumed by the airline and its subsidiaries SWISS and Eurowings on Friday, December 15.

“The Lufthansa group continues to monitor the security situation in Israel closely and is in close contact with the local and international authorities,” the statement says. “Possible flight schedule adjustments must be expected due to changing conditions.”

While Lufthansa is lifting its suspension of flights to Israel, Delta Air Lines is extending its suspension of flights to Tel Aviv, Israel, saying it has halted its service there through March 29, 2024.

Atlanta-based Delta previously operated flights to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport from Atlanta, New York and Boston, but along with other carriers suspended flights to Israel in October at the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Delta soon stopped taking new bookings for flights to Israel from Atlanta and Boston beyond Nov. 1, then extended the suspension of all service to and from Tel Aviv for weeks.

The airline’s decision to cancel its Tel Aviv flights through late March indicates the expected lasting impact of the war.

Delta said it is “continuously monitoring the security situation in Tel Aviv.”

“Our hearts are with all who are impacted as our people work to find safe alternatives for customers,” Delta said in its announcement late Friday. Customers who had flights booked will get notifications of the cancellations, and Delta said travelers can book flights connecting through other cities on its partner airlines such as El Al via Delta reservations.