Summary
- British Airways flight BA165 diverted back to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) as a consequence of safety concerns.
- Because the diverted aircraft flew to LHR, British Airways announced that it had suspended flights from/to TLV.
- Several major airlines, including American, Delta, and United, have canceled flights to Tel Aviv, while El Al has added more flights to repatriate service members and Israeli residents from abroad.
A British Airways flight diverted from Tel Aviv, Israel, as the protection situation within the country continued to worsen since Hamas, a gaggle that the British government described as a attacked Israel from Gaza on the weekend.
Diverting back to LHR
British Airways flight BA165, flying from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV), was scheduled to land on the Israeli capital’s airport at 15:05 local time (UTC +3). The service was operated by an Airbus A350-1000, registered as G-XWBF. Because it began its approach to TLV, it briefly entered a hold but, fairly soon after, it turned around and headed back to Heathrow.
In accordance with a British Airways spokesperson, the flight returned to the British capital as a consequence of safety concerns. The trip to TLV often takes around 4 hours, but for these BA passengers, it may be a really long flight to find yourself right back where they began.
Photo: ChameleonsEye | Shutterstock
Canceling flights to TLV
Many other airlines have canceled flights to TLV because the situation in Israel has grow to be more tense. The list includes major United States airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.
Some have continued to fly into the country’s capital, including the flag carrier, El Al. The Israeli airline, alongside Israir and Arkia, has even added more flights to repatriate service members who’ve been called up as reservists, in addition to Israeli residents who’re stuck abroad. On its page, El Al said,
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a Conflict Zone Information Bulletin (CZIB) on October 8, 2023. The European regulator said that it was issued based on the data available to it and the European Commission (EC) on the time
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) provided an update, including a restricted area in Israel designated as a closed military zone at 13:32 local time (UTC +3). “the update read. The zone doesn’t include TLV, as pictured below.
Photo: IDF
The conflict between Hamas and Israel broke out on October 7, when militants entered Israeli territory. The insurgence included the launching of around 2,200 rockets, based on the IDF’s estimates. On October 11, 2023, the Israeli Airport Authority (IAA) issued a press release that TLV within the case of an emergency, including when a rocket warning siren is activated on the airport.
On October 9, an IAA spokesperson denied that the airport was impacted by rockets, with the representative detailing to Reuters that an interception occurred and there was a possibility that debris impacted a village near TLV.