Journeying from Germany to the Middle Eastern region
Following the dramatic assault by the radical Islamic group Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, there's been a significant drop in air travel from Germany to the Middle East. Over the eleven-month period from October 2023 to August 2024, 666,700 travellers headed to Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, or Lebanon, as per the Federal Statistical Office's data. This represents a notable decrease of about 33.3% compared to the previous year.
The number of passengers visiting Israel plummeted by a staggering 50.4%, dropping from 547,800 to 251,800. There was also a considerable decrease of 30.4% in the number of travellers to Lebanon. The statisticians explained, "The main impact is seen in air traffic with the two countries in the region that are most frequently visited by German travellers."
Interestingly, the number of passengers bound for Iran even slightly increased - going up by 4.7% to 92,500. However, the number of travellers visiting the country significantly decreased from April onwards that year.
The ongoing military conflicts in the Middle East post-Hamas' attack resulted in repeated flight cancellations and closure of airspaces for several weeks due to the escalating tensions.
Due to the escalating tensions and repeated flight cancellations following Hamas' attack, many Germans opted to postpone their travel plans to the Middle East, affecting Germany's air travel to countries like Israel and Lebanon. Despite the decline in overall travel, Germany still saw a minor increase in passengers heading to Iran, albeit with significant reductions from April onwards.
