Air India has temporarily suspended flights to Tel Aviv, Israel, as tensions escalate between Israel and Iran. This decision means a halt to the four weekly direct flights between New Delhi and Tel Aviv.
The Tata group-owned airline had resumed its Tel Aviv service in March following a five-month break. The suspension comes after Iran and its allies launched over 200 projectiles at Israel on Saturday night. Flights had previously been canceled in October 2023 due to a Hamas attack on Tel Aviv.
Despite the recent attacks, an Air India flight safely landed in Tel Aviv on Saturday and is scheduled to return to India. Currently, El Al and Air India are the primary airlines offering commercial flights between the two countries.
Safety Measures: Rerouting Flights and Government Advisories
Seeking to ensure passenger safety, Air India and Vistara are avoiding Iranian airspace, opting for longer flight routes for Europe and US operations. India's government has also issued an advisory urging citizens to avoid travel to both Iran and Israel.Vistara Airlines stated: "Due to the current situation affecting parts of the Middle East, we are making changes to flight-paths of some of our flights. Contingency routes... are being used instead."
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) released a statement on April 12 advising Indian citizens against travel to Iran or Israel and encouraging those currently in either country to contact Indian embassies and register themselves.
