Fire and smoke rise following an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. (Photo: Fatima Shbair)
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The three largest U.S. airlines and a growing number of international carriers have suspended service to Israel, which has declared a state of war following Saturday’s surprise attack by Hamas that has left more than 1,200 dead.
On Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration has urged U.S. airlines to “exercise extreme caution” when flying in Israeli airspace in an updated Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM).
A Delta Air Lines spokesperson told Forbes that the carrier “continues to monitor the situation and is making schedule adjustments accordingly. Currently, our TLV flights have been canceled into this week.”
United Airlines said that “our Tel Aviv flights will remain suspended until conditions allow them to resume.”
In a statement, American Airlines confirmed that it has temporarily suspended operations to and from Tel Aviv. “We continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and will adjust our operation as needed,” the airline said, adding that impacted customers should check their flight status on its website or mobile app.
On Sunday, the pilots’ union for American Airlines issued a Do Not Fly directive to its members for Israel. “It is not prudent or appropriate to knowingly put our flight crews and passengers in harm’s way by maintaining flights into a war zone,” wrote Allied Pilots Association president Captain Ed Sicher. “Therefore, after careful consideration, I am directing all pilots to cease flight operations to Israel until we can be reasonably assured of the region’s safety and security.”
The largest U.S. airlines are offering flexible rebooking for travelers whose plans have been affected by the conflict. Advisories have been issued by Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines for passengers scheduled to fly to or from Tel Aviv, Israel through Saturday, October 14. The United advisory also includes flights to and from Amman, Jordan.
Twice as many Americans are traveling to the Middle East than a decade ago, with the region making up roughly 4% of the United States’ outbound international travel market—a bigger piece of the pie than Asia or South America. More than 3.1 million Americans traveled to the Mideast in 2022, according to data from the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), the agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce that tracks tourism statistics. That’s up 23% since 2019, the year before the pandemic.
And the region is on track to welcome more visitors this year. In the first half of 2023, more than 1.8 million Americans traveled to the Mideast—a 31% jump since last year, according to NTTO data, which does not break out outbound travel to the region by specific country.
Israel had hoped that 2023 would be a big one for its tourism sector. Last year, the country welcomed 2.7 million international tourists who injected $4 billion into the economy. Early this year, the Israeli Minister of Tourism said that “breaking the incoming tourism record of 2019 is a realistic goal on the horizon.”
The U.S. State Department’s travel advisory for Israel currently includes a Do Not Travel warning for Gaza and recommends that Americans “exercise increased caution when traveling to” Israel or the West Bank due to terrorism and civil unrest. Canada and the UK also have updated travel advisories for their citizens.
International airlines are also suspending flights in and out of Israel, but generally with a shorter time frame.
Air Canada, which offers service to Tel Aviv from Toronto and Montreal, has a travel advisory covering flights scheduled through Tuesday, October 10.
British Airways also canceled flights over weekend and reduced service to Israel early in the week. Air France suspended its flights to Tel Aviv “for the time being,” French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told reporters on Sunday. As of Monday, Lufthansa’s travel advisory only covers flights scheduled through the end of the day. “Decisions on the upcoming flight schedule will be made” early in the week, according to the German carrier.
Israeli airline El Al said Sunday that its flights have been operating “as scheduled” but is offering travel waivers for customers who want to delay or cancel flights.