Ryanair, the low-cost airline giant, said on Tuesday that it would not resume flights to and from Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport before October 25, extending its absence further after previously saying it was suspending those flights through September.
After the ceasefire was agreed in the fighting with Iran, Israel on Tuesday resumed regular operations at Ben-Gurion airport.
Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said in May that the airline was "losing patience" with security disruptions at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport and may consider moving aircraft to service alternative destinations.
"I think we're running out of patience too with Israel ... flights to and from Tel Aviv," O'Leary told analysts following the release of full-year results.
EasyJet, another low-cost giant that had not operated flights to and from Israel since October 2023, said it would not resume its operations at Ben Gurion Airport before October 25.
Aegean Airlines, Greece's national airline, announced earlier in the week that it was canceling all its flights to Israel until September 8.
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American carrier United Airlines has suspended its flights to and from Israel until July 1 and Delta Airlines is not scheduled to return to Ben Gurion Airport before August 31.
"The safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority," Delta said when the war against Iran broke out, adding that it "continues to monitor the evolving security situation based on intelligence reports and security directives."
The Air France-KLM group, which includes the national carriers of France and the Netherlands, suspended its flights at the start of the fighting against Iran until further notice. The group said it would reassess operations as conditions permit.
The Lufthansa Group also suspended flights when Israel closed its airspace at the start of Operation Rising Lion and said they would not resume before July 31.
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Lufthansa suspended flights when Israel closed its airspace at the start of Operation Rising Lion and said they would not resume before July
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Swiss, a member of the Lufthansa group, said its flights would not return before October 25.
Air Canada cancelled its flights to and from Israel altogether.
Other carriers suspended their flights to Israel until the end of July at least.
Attorney Ehud Pai, an expert in aviation and tourism law, explained that if an airline can prove the cancellation was caused by an extraordinary security event during wartime, it may be exempt from paying financial compensation.