London: British Airways (BA) has announced the suspension of its flights to Tel Aviv until the end of March next year, citing rising tensions in the Middle East and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

According to Israeli media, a spokesperson for British Airways said in an email, “This will give greater certainty to our customers who we are contacting to advise them of their options, including a full refund.”

Besides, German carrier Lufthansa said it was extending the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv to November 10.

The German company said in a statement, “the Lufthansa Group airlines... have decided to extend the suspension of their flights to Tel Aviv up to and including 10 November 2024.”

Low-cost airline Wizz Air nixed all its flights to and from Israel until January 15 and Delta Airlines said it was extending its cancellation of all routes to Israel through at least the end of March.

These cancellations have intensified recently as Israel escalated its military response to Hezbollah’s near-daily rocket and drone strikes—targeting even central Israel.

The situation worsened with a second attack from Iran, which involved the launch of approximately 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, prompting the country to temporarily close its airspace.

-B