Airlines divert, suspend flights after Israel attacks Iran

Airlines around the world canceled flights to Israel and were skirting a large swath of airspace in the Middle East on Friday after Israel’s overnight missile strikes on Iran. Iran later launched drones toward Israeli territory.

Delta Air Lines on Friday afternoon said it was suspending its service to Tel Aviv, Israel, until at least September, just weeks after resuming flights there. It had most recently resumed flights on May 20, and as of last week Delta had said it was planning to increase service to Israel later this year from New York to two daily nonstop flights, “responding to strong winter demand.”

United Airlines suspended its Tel Aviv flights through July 31, and said in statement that “we will continue to evaluate an appropriate return date with the safety of our customers and crews as our top priority.”

Both carriers’ Tel Aviv-bound flights turned around over the Atlantic Ocean to return to the New York area after Israel’s strikes overnight. United put 26 of its crew members who were on layover in Israel on Israeli airline El Al to get back to the U.S., a spokesman said.

El Al has since suspended service.

“Following recent security developments and in accordance with the instructions from the state’s security and aviation authorities to close Israeli airspace, all EL AL and Sundor flights are suspended for the time being,” it said on its website.

The carrier said it won’t take bookings until at least the end of June and warned customers against going to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.

“For customers currently abroad, we recommend arranging accommodation until there is a change in security directives,” El Al said. “Flights that were en route to Israel have been diverted to land at various EL AL destinations.”

Turkish Airlines and European budget carrier Wizz Air also suspended Israel flights. Germany’s Lufthansa said it was suspending Tel Aviv and Tehran service until July 31 and flights to Jordan and Lebanon until at least June 20. Emirates said it was canceling service from its base in Dubai to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran.

Airlines offered travel vouchers and waived change fees to customers affected by the disruptions.

Escalating military conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine have forced airlines to repeatedly take longer and more costly routes to avoid conflict zones.