Korean Air Cancels Incheon to Tel Aviv Flight on 9th
Further Cancellations After 11th to Be Confirmed Later
Following the German airline Lufthansa, Korean Air has also suspended flights to Israel due to the armed conflict between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel. This decision was made because Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, bombarded mainland Israel, making it difficult to guarantee passenger safety.
The operation status of flights scheduled after the 11th has not yet been determined. Korean Air held an emergency meeting on the afternoon of the 9th and made this decision. Accordingly, the flight KE957 from Incheon to Tel Aviv, Israel, scheduled to depart on the 9th, will not operate.
Rocket projectile fired from Gaza Strip, Palestine (right) and interceptor missile (left) [Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]
Korean Air, the only domestic airline flying to Tel Aviv, operates flights to Israel three times a week, once each on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
On the same day, Korean Air announced via its website and application (app) that "abnormal operations of flights to Israel are expected due to local instability."
The Tel Aviv route was suspended immediately after the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 and resumed at the end of December last year after about two years and nine months.
However, Korean Air is considering operating the flight KE958 from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport to Incheon on the 9th with a delayed departure time after confirming the safety of the airport, to support the return of passengers staying in Israel.
Major global airlines, including Germany's Lufthansa, are also canceling flights to Israel. According to foreign media such as the US CNN, a United Airlines passenger plane heading to Israel from San Francisco turned back, and Delta Air Lines and American Airlines also decided to cancel their flights to Israel. Lufthansa has also significantly reduced its flights to Tel Aviv.
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