EasyJet suspends flights to Israel until October

EasyJet has suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the next six months following Iran's missile and drone attack against Israel at the weekend.

The airline said it will halt flights until 27 October, blaming "the continued evolving situation in Israel".

EasyJet had only recently resumed flying to Tel Aviv following Hamas' assault on Israel last year, sparking a war on the Gaza Strip.

The company said: "Customers booked to fly on this route up this date are being offered options including a full refund."

Iran carried out the strike – its first-ever direct attack against Israel – after vowing retaliation for the bombing of its consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus.

Israel has not admitted that it carried out the consulate attack, which killed a number of senior Iranian commanders, but is widely believed to be behind the strike.

Tensions are high over how Israel will respond to Iran's attack, which was carried out between Saturday night and Sunday morning, with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant saying the confrontation with Iran is "not over yet".

EasyJet said: "As a result of the continued evolving situation in Israel, easyJet has now taken the decision to suspend its flights to Tel Aviv for the remainder of the summer season until 27 October."

The company was operating around four flights a week to Tel Aviv.

A number of airlines suspended flights to Israel and other parts of the Middle East following events at the weekend. Most resumed on Monday or will do so on Tuesday.

Others have re-routed flights to avoid Israeli or Iranian airspace, potentially adding time to flights.

Germany's Lufthansa Group said it had already decided on Friday 12 April to circumvent Iran and this measure will remain in place until 18 April.

It has also suspended flights to Lebanon capital Beirut.

Virgin Atlantic said that it is "not currently overflying Iraq, Iran, or Israel, but we continue to monitor the situation for any potential impact on our operations".

The airline stopped flying to Israel last year but a spokesperson said it was aiming to resume journeys in September.

British Airways confirmed it is continuing to operate four flights a week to Tel Aviv, via Larnaca in Cyprus.