EU regulator extends Israel no-fly warning through May 27

Europe’s aviation regulator said the risk of rapid escalation in the region remains high.

By World Israel News Staff

Europe’s aviation regulator has extended its warning advising European airlines to avoid flying to Israel until at least May 27, citing ongoing security concerns despite the current ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said in a statement published Tuesday that European carriers should “exercise caution and take potential risks into account when operating within the airspace of Israel.”

While the agency acknowledged that the truce between the U.S. and Iran is “currently holding,” it warned that “the sustainability of the ceasefire remains uncertain in the longer term, with a possibility of rapid escalation.”

The regulator added that “close monitoring and up-to-date risk assessments remain essential to ensure the safety of flights” and said it would “continue to closely monitor the situation” to determine whether risks to European aircraft operators increase or decrease in the coming weeks.

Since the outbreak of Operation Epic Fury in late February, nearly all foreign airlines have canceled flights to and from the Jewish state.

With air travel remaining the primary way to enter and leave the country, Israeli airlines have become virtually the only available option, operating on an extremely limited flight schedule.

Foreign and low-cost European carriers such as Wizz Air and Lufthansa, which had previously announced plans to resume flights to Israel before the end of May, are now expected to extend their suspensions in line with the EASA advisory.

On Sunday, the head of Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) warned that the continued presence of American military aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport poses serious long-term risks to freedom of movement in and out of Israel.

“Under the current circumstances, the State of Israel no longer has an international airport capable of operating efficiently. Ben Gurion Airport has effectively become an American military base with only limited civilian activity,” CAA Director Shmuel Zakai wrote in a letter addressed to Transportation Minister Miri Regev and senior ministry official Moshe Ben Zaken.

“Ben Gurion International Airport is the main civilian airport of the State of Israel. Turning it into a military base harms not only the airlines, it harms all citizens of the state,” Zakai added, according to the letter viewed by the Hebrew-language outlet Calcalist.