AUA Flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran Remain Suspended Due to Escalating Tensions
Austrian Airlines (AUA) is extending the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran due to the uncertain situation in the Middle East. Connections to the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv are expected to remain suspended until November 25, while flights to Tehran will be canceled until the end of November.
Due to the situation in the Middle East, AUA is extending its stop for flights to and from Tel Aviv and Tehran. / Picture: © Austrian Airlines / Flickr Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
This decision applies to all airlines in the Lufthansa Group, which includes Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, and Brussels Airlines. Eurowings announced that it will not operate any flights to Tel Aviv until and including November 30, and Beirut will remain off the flight schedules until February 2025.
The security situation has worsened, particularly following an Israeli airstrike against military targets in Iran. This attack followed a missile attack that originated from Iran at the beginning of October. Tensions reached a climax last weekend when Israel killed four Iranian soldiers in response to the attack. The Iranian regime then announced “harsh consequences”, further increasing uncertainty in the region.
AUA announced that passengers affected by these changes can rebook their flights free of charge or receive a full refund of their ticket price. In addition, all passengers are asked to regularly check the status of their bookings, as further postponements or suspensions are possible due to the ongoing tensions.
These decisions underline the great caution with which European airlines operate in crisis regions, especially regarding direct military escalation. The Lufthansa Group is currently using restricted corridors in Iraqi airspace for certain flights but is largely avoiding Iranian and Iraqi airspace to ensure the safety of its passengers.