Against the backdrop of continued security tensions in the Middle East, Spanish airline Iberia Express announced on Thursday that it is extending the cancellation of its night flights to Israel through February 6.
Iberia Express, a subsidiary of Iberia, Spain’s national airline, has ceased operating night flights to Israel since January 16 and is currently running only one daily flight on the Madrid–Tel Aviv route.
Earlier on Thursday, Lufthansa Group, which includes Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings, announced it is extending the cancellation of its night flights to Israel through Tuesday, February 3. The group halted night operations to Israel about two weeks ago, shifting some flights to daytime hours. In addition to schedule changes on Israel routes, Lufthansa Group is avoiding Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice.
On Wednesday, the Netherlands’ national airline, KLM, decided at this stage not to resume flights to Tel Aviv, reversing an announcement made a day earlier that services to Ben Gurion Airport would be renewed. The Dutch carrier, which operates a daily Tel Aviv–Amsterdam flight, first announced the suspension of its Israel services over the weekend.
"At all times, KLM prioritizes the safety of passengers and crew in the execution of its operations", the airline said in a statement. "Selecting safe and optimal routes is a standard part of our daily practice. Based on the current security situation and operational feasibility, we have decided not to resume our flights to Tel Aviv for the time being.
"We are already operating flights again to other destinations in the region, such as Riyadh and Dammam. For Dubai, we expect to restart operations from Friday, January 30.
"We continue to monitor the situation closely. As soon as it is safe and responsible to do so, we aim to offer our customers reliable connections again as quickly as possible."
On Saturday, Italy’s ITA Airways announced it was cancelling its night flights to Israel through Tuesday due to the security tensions in the Middle East. Later in the week, the airline said the cancellations would be extended through January 31, inclusive.