El Al plane is seen at the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on December 31, 2022. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Airspace closures through the Middle East grounded and diverted flights on Saturday as Iran launched drones toward Israel.
United Airlines, which resumed service to Tel Aviv early last month after suspending Israel flights after the Hamas attacks in October, called off its Newark to Tel Aviv flight on Saturday. Israel closed its airspace on Saturday, officials said. Jordan and Iraq had also closed their airspace, according to Jordanian state-owned media news outlet Al Mamlaka.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and will make decisions on upcoming flights with a focus on the safety of our customers and crews,” United said in a statement.
United was also scheduled to fly from Washington Dulles International Airport to Amman, Jordan, at 10:30 p.m. Saturday night, but the flight will likely be canceled, according to a person familiar with the matter.
It was not clear when flights would resume.
Flight-tracking site Flightradar24 said multiple flights bound for Tel Aviv and Amman had diverted on Saturday.
Delta Air Lines last month said it would resume Tel Aviv service that it suspended in March on June 7 after “an extensive security risk assessment by the airline.
“Delta continues to closely monitor the situation in Israel in conjunction with government and private-sector partners,” the carrier said in March.
