British Airways announced on Monday that it is suspending all flights to Israel through March 2025, joining a long list of carriers who are no longer flying to the Jewish State.
The cancellation “will give greater certainty to our customers who we’re contacting to advise them of their options, including a full refund,” a British Airways spokesperson told the Times of Israel in an emailed statement.
The American carriers Delta and United have also said that they expect to resume flights to Israel only in March 2025.
Because American Airlines also suspended flights to Israel, national carrier El AL is the only airline providing direct flights between Israel and the U.S. at the moment.
In late September, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) advised European airline to avoid flying to Israel following the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
While that recommendation was lifted several weeks ago, European carriers have been hesitant to restore their previous Israel routes.
KLM, the Lufthansa group and its subsidiaries, Vueling, Air Canada, Ryanair, Cathay Pacific, easyJet, Wizz Air, Air India, LOT, and Emirates are just some of the airlines that are no longer flying to the Jewish State.
Only a handful of European airlines, including TUS and Bluebird Airways, are currently facilitating cargo and passenger flights to Israel.
Skyrocketing insurance premiums are preventing carriers from resuming passenger and cargo flights to Israel.
The lack of flights has seriously impacted the Jewish State’s manufacturing industry, with imports and exports seriously delayed.
Several industry leaders spoke out against the government, saying the Transport and Finance Ministries must provide financial assistance to businesses impacted by the flight shortage, along with subsidies to encourage airlines to return to Israel.
“Insurers do not agree, or impose premiums that are too high, for the planes to touch Israeli soil,” said Or Berlowitz, the CEO of Israeli airline Arkia, during a recent Knesset hearing on the issue.
“The State of Israel provides a subsidy only for Israeli planes and not for leased planes. In fact, it gives a premium for protection insurance during wartime, and if there was no such thing, no plane would take off from
