An AUA spokeswoman announced this on Thursday after discussions with the crisis team.
“In view of the latest developments regarding the situation in the Middle East, Austrian Airlines has decided, in consultation with the Lufthansa Group crisis team, to suspend flights to Tel Aviv from this evening until August 8th. This also applies to overflights over Israeli airspace from this evening. The last Austrian Airlines rotation between Vienna and Tel Aviv for the time being will land in Vienna this afternoon,” says a statement from AUA. Other destinations in the Middle East such as Amman (Jordan), Tehran (Iran) and Erbil (Iraq) could continue to be flown to as before after a thorough safety assessment.
Flight had to turn around
An Austrian Airlines flight from Vienna to Tel Aviv had to turn around on Thursday night due to the security situation. An Austrian Airlines spokeswoman confirmed a corresponding online report from the aviation magazine “Austrianwings” upon request. The situation was never critical. It was a precautionary measure due to the unclear security situation in the Middle East.
The AUA parent company Lufthansa also cancelled a connecting flight from Cyprus to Tel Aviv overnight for safety reasons. The plane had previously landed from Munich at Larnaca airport as planned and then flown to Israel with a new crew, a company spokesperson said according to dpa. However, this connecting flight was cancelled because Iran had temporarily closed its airspace in the early hours of the morning. Lufthansa therefore did not consider the safety of the flights to Tel Aviv to be guaranteed.
Iran wants direct attack on Israel
After the targeted killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday morning, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly wants a direct attack on Israel. On Thursday, Israel also declared the military chief of the militant Palestinian organization Hamas, Mohammed Deif, dead.
Previously, the killing of a Hezbollah commander in the Lebanese capital Beirut had also led to extreme tension in the Middle East. According to media reports, the Israeli army is on high alert in anticipation of possible retaliatory strikes following the attacks in Beirut and Tehran.
