Delta Air Lines is further extending its suspension of flights to and from Israel amid heightening tensions in the region.
Atlanta-based Delta on July 31 said it would pause flights between New York and Tel Aviv through Aug. 2. Then, it extended the suspension through Aug. 31.
On Wednesday, Delta said it would extend the suspension of its flights to Israel through Oct. 31 “due to ongoing conflict in the region.”
The airline said it would notify customers affected by the schedule change through its app or contact information in customers’ reservations.
“Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports and will communicate any updates as needed,” the company said. The airline said travelers can still book flights on its partner carriers Air France and El Al.
Delta initially suspended service to Israel in October at the start of the Israel-Hamas war. It restarted nonstop flights to Tel Aviv from New York on June 7.
But a rocket attack July 27 on the town of Majdal Shams that killed 12 young people in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights raised the stakes of a broader Middle Eastern conflict. Israeli and U.S. intelligence services have blamed Hezbollah in Lebanon for the attack. Later, an Israeli attack that killed a top Hezbollah leader in Lebanon and the killing of a top Hamas leader in Tehran, which Iran blamed Israel for, further escalated tensions.
Delta extended a travel waiver for customers with flights booked to or from Tel Aviv through Oct. 31, to allow flexibility for rebookings.
The U.S. State Department has a travel advisory recommending people do not travel to Northern Israel within 2.5 miles of the Lebanese and Syrian borders due to rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, and to not travel to Gaza due to terrorism and armed conflict.
The State Department also advised people to reconsider travel to Israel and the West Bank due to terrorism and civil unrest.
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