As tensions rise between Iran and Israel following the Tehran attack over the weekend, several airlines have halted flights amid security concerns.
Air Canada joined a number of international airlines on Saturday that canceled flights to Israel as Israeli airspace was temporarily closed following a missile and drone attack by Iran.
“Due to recent events in the Middle East, operations to and from Tel Aviv are currently suspended,” Air Canada told Global News in an emailed statement Monday.
Canada’s flagship airline had last week resumed flights to Tel Aviv after a six-month pause due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Air Canada said that in addition to canceling the April 13 flight from Toronto to Tel Aviv, it would also cancel those on Monday and Tuesday, as well as corresponding return flights.
“The next flight from Toronto is scheduled for Thursday, April 18,” Air Canada said.
“We are monitoring the situation very closely and will adapt accordingly.”
Even before the Iranian attack, the Canadian government increased on Friday night Their risk level for Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is “avoid all travel.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in a Friday post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “Canadians should consider leaving through commercial means.”
The weekend attack, which involved more than 300 missiles and drones, caused only modest damage in Israel but has raised concerns about a broader conflict in the Middle East.
The Iranian attack was in retaliation for a suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers, including two senior commanders.
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Amid political tensions, the airline industry is not taking “undue risks” as it tries to keep travelers and crew safe, an aviation expert said.
“There is a lot of tension in that area and airlines are taking as much caution as possible in their operational plans,” said John Gradek, professor and coordinator of the aviation management program at McGill University.
Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq were among the Arab nations that closed their airspace on Saturday night before reopening them on Sunday.
At least a dozen airlines canceled or diverted flights over the weekend. Reuters reported.
On Monday, Europe’s aviation regulator also reaffirmed its advice to airlines to exercise caution in Israeli and Iranian airspace.
Transport Canada did not respond to a request for comment from Global News about its advice to airlines at the time of publication.
“There is very high awareness about the impact that a geopolitical conflict like this is having and, in fact, people are being warned to take extra caution and, in some cases, avoid travel,” Gradek said.
There have been past cases of commercial airliners being hit by missiles.
In January 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was hit minutes after taking off from Tehran, Iran, by two Iranian surface-to-air missiles as tensions rose in Iran following the US assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, the country’s top of the Iranian Revolutionary Party. Guard’s elite Quds Force.
In July 2014, a Russian-made missile also shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over conflict-torn eastern Ukraine. Two former Russian intelligence officers and a Ukrainian separatist leader were found guilty of shooting down the plane and killing all 298 people on board in a Dutch court last year.
Gradek said commercial pilots are not trained to evade missiles and aerial vehicles, such as drones, so they will try to maintain a safe distance as much as possible.
This could mean avoiding airspace and diverting planes, which could lengthen flights, he said.
“There are alternative routes to get there from anywhere in the Western world to go around the Middle East and fly to your destination,” Gradek said.
“It will only take about an hour, an hour and a half more,” he said, adding that airlines will plan their fuel and schedule accordingly.
Gradek said travelers should feel comfortable knowing that airlines understand the risks associated with flying near a conflict zone and will take extreme precautions.
“It is not an invisible event. It is something that is in the manual that they know that if there is that closure, they will act accordingly and that the plans will be implemented fairly close to operations. “
– with Reuters archives
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