Airlines halt many Middle East flights
Agencies
Global airlines have cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran and other Middle East destinations, or rerouted planes, as airspaces were shut off following Israeli strikes on Iran. Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Syria closed their airspaces after Israel hit military and nuclear facilities in Iran.
Israel said Tehran launched drones in retaliation. Air India's New Delhi-Vienna and Mumbai-London flights were about to enter Iranian airspace when Israel launched its attack, forcing the planes to turn back to their origin, according to aircraft tracker Flight Aware.
Its London-New Delhi flight had just entered Iranian airspace and was rerouted over Iraq before arriving in India one hour late, according to Flight Aware. Air India diverted or called back a total of 16 flights between India and London and cities in Canada and the United States 'due to the emerging situation in Iran'.
Emirates, the Middle East's largest airline, cancelled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran after Israellaunched the strikes.
Air France said it was suspending its flights to and from Tel Aviv 'until further notice' following the closure of Israeli airspace.
'Air France is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East in real time,' a spokesman for the French airline told AFP, adding that 'the safety of its customers and crews is its absolute priority'. US carrier Delta Air Lines said it is pausing service between New York's John F Kennedy airport and Tel Aviv through August 31 'in response to the ongoing conflict in the region.'
United Airlines, another US carrier, said service between its Newark, New Jersey hub and Tel Aviv is paused. United arranged for 26 crew members who are on layover to return to the United States on El Al. One of United's Tel Aviv flights was canceled Thursday night.
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