British Airways Becomes Latest Airline To Suspend Flights to Israel Until March 2025

British Airways has become the latest airline to suspend flights to Israel amid growing escalation fears. The airline has announced that it will not resume flights to the region until at least March 2025. Let’s take a look at what we know about this latest development.

British Airways Suspends Israel Flights

According to The Times of Israel, given the increased conflict in southern Lebanon and rising Middle East tensions, British Airways stated that it will be discontinuing its flights to Tel Aviv until the end of March of next year.

“This will give greater certainty to our customers who we’re contacting to advise them of their options, including a full refund,” a spokesperson for British Airways said in an emailed statement to the outlet.

In the past year, many international airlines have halted flights to and from Israel on multiple occasions due to the ongoing Middle East conflict, which has been increasingly criticized by human rights organizations due to the growing number of attacks on defenseless civilians in the Palestinian territory.

However, next week, flights to and from Israel will be renewed by Air Europa, Air France, RyanAir, and ITA Airways, with Lot, the Lufthansa Group, Air Baltic, Bulgaria Air, and Iberia joining them the week after. Throughout the conflict, Israeli airlines El Al, Arkia, and Israir have all kept up their flights to and from Israel, only ceasing operations when Ben Gurion Airport or Israeli airspace is closed.

Though not all airlines have suspended these flights, British Airways is one of several international airlines that have lately announced that they will no longer be operating flights to Israel. For example, Wizz Air, a budget airline, canceled all of its flights to and from Israel until Jan. 15. These airlines seem to be keeping passenger safety top of mind.

Delta Also Suspended Flights

British Airways and Wizz Air are just the latest airlines to cancel flights into the region.

In September, due to the escalating Middle Eastern conflict, which doesn’t appear to be abating anytime soon, Delta Air Lines declared that it had suspended all flights between New York’s JFK Airport and Tel Aviv.

The airline, which originally made the announcement back in July, revised its statement on Thursday, Sept. 19, to reveal that flights between JFK and the Middle Eastern city will not operate until after Dec. 31. This information was disclosed in a press release. Affected clients are urged to check the status on Delta Air Lines’ proprietary app for more information, since the notice is subject to further revisions.

“Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports and will communicate any updates as needed,” the company said in the press release.

The airline is also one of many that are under regulatory examination over their loyalty programs, and it was disclosed that same month that the Department of Transportation (DOT) alleges that the airline is devaluing the awards that passengers have accrued.

The reward schemes that American Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines provide are also criticized, according to Bloomberg. To understand how consumers “are impacted by the devaluation of earned rewards, hidden or dynamic pricing, extra fees, and reduced competition and choice,” the DOT has requested reports and comprehensive data on the airlines’ programs, according to the statement.

“Many Americans view their rewards points balances as part of their savings,” Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the statement. “But unlike a traditional savings account, these rewards are controlled by a company that can unilaterally change their value.”