Flights to Israel, Dubai, Riyadh cancelled amid US-Iran tension
Flights were cancelled as US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a US “armada” was heading toward the Gulf and that Washington was watching Iran closely.
SEVERAL international airlines, including Air France, Lufthansa and Dutch KLM, cancelled flights to and from the Middle East amid rising tensions between the US and Iran. Major destinations such as Israel, Dubai, and Riyadh are among those affected by the cancellations.
Flights were cancelled as US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a US "armada" was heading toward the Gulf and that Washington was watching Iran closely.
Air France
Air France said it will temporarily stop service to Dubai due to the geopolitical situation. "Due to the current situation in the Middle East, the company has decided to temporarily suspend its service to Dubai," France's national carrier said in a statement to AFP.
Dutch airline KLM
Meanwhile, Dutch airline KLM told Dutch public broadcaster NOS on Friday that it had suspended flights until further notice to Tel Aviv, Dubai, Dammam and Riyadh and would not fly through the airspace of Iraq, Iran, Israel and several countries in the Gulf.
The airline did not disclose the reason for the suspensions and said it was in touch with Dutch authorities, according to NOS.
Lufthansa
Lufthansa Group limited its flights to only daytime operations and continues to avoid the Iranian airspace, NDTV reported. Besides, United Airlines and Air Canada, too, have cancelled flights to Tel Aviv.
British Airways
British Airways temporarily halted flights to Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, earlier this month.
Several European and American carriers also paused operations to Gulf countries in June before Iran fired missiles at a base in Qatar. The missile strikes forced Qatar and surrounding countries to close their airspace and created havoc for international airlines.
