Israel-Palestine conflict: Multiple UAE flights cancelled amid escalating tensions

Some flights from the UAE have been affected following the escalation of tension between Israel and Palestine, airlines have confirmed to Khaleej Times.

Etihad Airways flights EY593/EY594 between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Tel Aviv (TLV) on October 8 and 9 were cancelled in response to the ongoing issues in Israel. Passengers booked on these services are being assisted with their travel arrangements, an airline spokesperson said.

"Etihad is monitoring the situation in Israel and continues to maintain close contact with authorities. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew is our number one priority, and we apologise for the disruption to our guests’ travel plans," said the spokesperson in the statement.

Flydubai said its flights FZ 1625/1626 and FZ 1807/1808 on October 7 were cancelled. However, flights to Ben Gurion Airport are "operating to schedule" as on October 8. "We will continue to monitor the situation closely and amend our schedule accordingly," said a flydubai spokesperson.

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A spokesperson from Dubai's flagship carrier Emirates, which operates three flights daily to Tel Aviv, however, said their “flights are currently operating per schedule”.

Earlier, flydubai said some flights had been delayed due to operational reasons.

Flight cancellations

Major airlines from different parts of the world cancelled flights to Tel Aviv this weekend.

On the arrivals board at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport Air France, Lufthansa, Ryanair, Aegan Airlines and some US companies were all pulling flights.

However, airport authorities did not stop commercial air links with Eilat, Israel's second international airport and tourist destination on the Red Sea.

"Given the current security situation in Tel Aviv," Lufthansa maintained a single flight back to Frankfurt, said a spokesman for the German carrier, but "all other Lufthansa flights to and from Tel Aviv have been cancelled for this Saturday".

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