Lufthansa has cancelled a flight from Cyprus to Tel Aviv for safety reasons
Lufthansa cancelled a connecting flight from Cyprus to Tel Aviv last night due to security concerns. The A321 aircraft had landed in Larnaca, Cyprus as scheduled from Munich, with the intention of continuing to Israel with a new crew, as reported by a company spokesperson.
However, this connecting flight was cancelled because Iran had temporarily closed its airspace in the early morning hours. Lufthansa did not consider the safety of flights to Tel Aviv to be guaranteed under these circumstances.
The security situation in the Middle East is already tense, and it has become even more so following the killing of two key Israeli adversaries. One of the attacks, which Iran blames on Israel, took place in the Iranian capital, Tehran. The Iranian leadership has threatened retaliation.
The Lufthansa spokesperson stated that there are currently no restrictions on flights to Tel Aviv. After the cancellation of the connecting flight from Cyprus to Israel, 23 of the 190 passengers, according to the airline, did not want to return to Munich and remained in Cyprus.
By introducing a stopover in this Mediterranean island nation, Lufthansa avoids crew overnight stays in the conflict zone. Another flight of the company's subsidiary, Austrian Airlines, had to be diverted to Sofia.
Given the volatile political situation in the Middle East and Iran's temporary closure of its airspace, Lufthansa deemed it necessary to prioritize safety reasons and canceled the connecting flight to Tel Aviv. The company's main concern was ensuring the safety of its passengers and crew under such uncertain conditions.
