Wizz Air halts flights to Israel, but most other carriers unaffected by renewed fighting

Two European airlines suspended flights to and from Israel Monday after Iran began firing rockets at the country, though other carriers continued flying their normal schedules, with Israel’s airspace remaining open in a shift from previous rounds of fighting with the Islamic Republic.

Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air and Austrian Airlines have temporarily suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport after Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel for the first time in two months.

Citing the “current escalation in the region,” with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air canceled all flights to and from Israel through Tuesday.

“The safety and security of our passengers and crew remains the airline’s highest priority,” Wizz Air said in a statement. “Wizz Air continues to closely monitor the evolving situation in coordination with relevant authorities and will adjust our operations accordingly.”

An Austrian Airlines flight from Vienna to Tel Aviv scheduled for early Monday morning was also scrapped, though the airline has not yet provided an update about flight operations in the coming days.

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Other airlines, including Israeli carriers El Al, Arkia, and Israir, confirmed that their flights were operating as scheduled.

The Transportation Ministry announced late Sunday that it had decided to keep the country’s airspace open despite the resurgence of hostilities.

The decision marked a break from the previous two rounds of fighting with Iran, in June 2025 and the 40-day war launched with the US on February 28, during which commercial air traffic in and out of the country was halted, triggering chaos as those trapped inside the country or stranded abroad scrambled for alternative options.

The ministry said professional discussions were taking place regarding the Home Front Command’s demand to restrict the number of passengers at Ben Gurion Airport, the country’s main international gateway, to 2,500 at any given time, potentially hamstringing flight schedules. As of Monday afternoon, no decision had been made about imposing the restrictions, the ministry said.

The Israel Airports Authority said 58,000 passengers were expected to pass through Ben Gurion Airport on 370 flights Monday. Airport data showed planes from foreign carriers including Aegean, LOT, Iberia and Air France, among others, continuing to operate.

Many travelers were nonetheless preparing for the possibility of air traffic disarray should hostilities escalate and flights be canceled en masse, said Mark Feldman, CEO of Ziontours Jerusalem.

“Many of our customers are panicking about what will happen to air travel and if Israel’s airspace will remain open in the coming days and towards the weekend,” he told The Times of Israel. “At this stage, it is impossible to predict whether the situation will continue or accelerate, and there are travelers who don’t want to fly out of fear that they are going to be stranded abroad or leave their families behind.”

Fighting between Israel and Iran erupted late Sunday after Tehran fired around 10 missiles at northern Israel in response to strikes on the Hezbollah terror group in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israel retaliated by attacking Iranian military targets and a petrochemical plant on Monday morning, defying US pressure to stand down and triggering fresh volleys of ballistic missiles on the center of the country Monday morning.

Amid the exchange, a Wizz Air plane en route to Ben Gurion Airport from Warsaw Monday morning landed in Larnaca, Cyprus, after the flight crew refused to land in Tel Aviv, according to Channel 12 news.

Passengers aboard the plane were offered flights back to Warsaw or told they could seek flights home to Israel with another airline, the network reported.

Both Wizz Air and Austrian, which is part of Germany’s Lufthansa group of carriers, had only recently restarted flight operations to Tel Aviv in late May and early June after a three-month hiatus following the closure of Israel’s airspace to foreign airlines on February 28, when the war with Iran began.

El Al said Monday that it was easing rules for ticket changes and cancellations “in light of the current security situation and the ongoing uncertainty.” Arkia also said it would waive charges and fees for customers canceling flights up to 48 hours before departure.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.