Air India Suspends Flight Operations to and From Israel’s Tel Aviv Amid Tensions in Middle East

In view of continuous alert situations in the Middle East involving Iran, Palestine, and Israel, Tata-owned Air India has suspended all flight operations to and from Tel Aviv with immediate effect till further notice. 

The India-origin airline said it would give a full refund to all passengers with confirmed bookings. These come after the assassinations of three high-profile leaders of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Lebanon, during the war with Israel. Iran also warned of an attack on Israel.

#ImportantAnnouncement

In view of the current situation in parts of the Middle East, scheduled operation of our flights to and from Tel Aviv are suspended with immediate effect until further notice. We are continuously monitoring the situation and are offering a full refund to…

— Air India (@airindia) August 9, 2024

"In view of the current situation in parts of the Middle East, scheduled operation of our flights to and from Tel Aviv are suspended with immediate effect until further notice. We are continuously monitoring the situation and are offering a full refund to our passengers with confirmed bookings for travel to and from Tel Aviv. Safety of our guests and crew remains our topmost priority," said Air India in a post on X.

Also Read | Bangladesh Crisis: Air India, Vistara, IndiGo To Operate Scheduled Flights to Dhaka Today.

The US official has said that they have sent Navy warships to a base in the Middle East to help protect Israel amid escalating tension between Israel and Iran. Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have resumed launching attacks on bases housing US forces in Iraq and Syria after a lull of several months, following a strike on a base in Jordan in late January that killed three American soldiers and prompted a series of retaliatory US strikes.