American Airlines extends suspension of flights to Israel amid war in Gaza

American Airlines is extending its suspension of flights between the U.S. and Israel

Airlines-Israel (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

American Airlines is suspending flights to Israel through late March, extending a break in service that started in the early days of the war in Gaza.

A spokesperson for the airline said Wednesday that customers with tickets for flights to Tel Aviv can rebook at no extra charge or cancel their trip and get a refund.

The airline said flights to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv will be suspended through March 29. The airline updated a travel advisory on its website over the weekend.

“We will continue to work closely with our partner airlines to assist customers traveling between Israel and European cities with service to the U.S.,” the spokesperson said.

Delta Air Lines extended its suspension of Tel Aviv flights through Sept. 30 from Aug. 31. United Airlines has suspended service indefinitely.

All three airlines stopped flying to Israel shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the war. Many other international airlines did the same, although some later resumed them.

Germany’s Lufthansa announced Monday that based on a “current security analysis” it would halt all flights to Tel Aviv, Amman, Beirut, Teheran and Erbil in Iraq through Monday.

About 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, died in the Oct. 7 attack, which was followed by Israel's bombardment of Gaza. About 40,000 people have died in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry there. U.S. attempts to broker a cease-fire agreement have been unsuccessful.