Airlines cancel flights to Israel, Jordan and Lebanon as Middle East tension mounts

The Foreign Office is warning against travel to Israel and Lebanon

Widespread cancellations: Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv (Simon Calder)

More airlines are grounding flights to and from Israel, Jordan and Lebanon as tension in the Middle East grows.

Wizz Air has suspended all its flights to and from Israel and Jordan “due to the escalating situation in the region”.

Departures from Luton to Israel’s main airport, Tel Aviv, are currently suspended, along with a range of links from Continental Europe.

A spokesperson said: “Wizz Air regrets the inconvenience caused to the passengers due to the current situation and is offering affected customers a 120 per cent refund in Wizz credits, a full refund in the original form of payment or free rebooking options.”

Aegean Airlines, Air India, Austrian Airlines, Delta, Iberia, LOT of Poland, Lufthansa, Swiss and United Airlines have suspended operations from their hubs.

El Al, though, is continuing operations as normal. The Israeli national airline says: “All flights are departing on schedule.”

British Airways is continuing to operate outbound from London Heathrow via Larnaca in Cyprus to Tel Aviv, returning nonstop.

Ryanair is also flying in and out of Tel Aviv, though the airline is keeping the situation under review.

To Amman in Jordan, Austrian Airlines and United have cancelled flights from Vienna and Washington DC respectively. But Royal Jordanian and British Airways are continuing to fly to and from London.

The leading leisure airport, Aqaba, at the south of Jordan, has very few flights – mainly on Royal Jordanian from Amman. Turkish Airlines is continuing to fly in from Istanbul. But Wizz Air has grounded its flights.

Turkish Airlines has joined many other carriers in cancelling flights to the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Links from Paris on Transavia and Air France were grounded on Sunday, along with the Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt.

Middle East Airlines continues to fly between London Heathrow and Beirut.

The Foreign Office warns against travel to Lebanon, and on Sunday said: “If you are currently in Lebanon, we encourage you to leave, while commercial options remain available.”

The FCDO also warns against travel to Israel, but stops short of urging British citizens to leave.

Australia’s government is even more emphatic about Lebanon, urging citizens to “take the first available flight and not wait for a preferred route”. The official travel advice is: “Beirut airport could close, and you may be unable to leave for an extended period. Airlines may cancel more flights or set high ticket prices for any remaining flights.”

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