KLM cancels flight from Schiphol to Tel Aviv on Sunday; Israeli airlines may still fly
Dutch national airline KLM has canceled its only scheduled flight from Schiphol Airport to Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday. The decision was made after dozens of drones and rockets were fired from Iran towards Israel, most of which were intercepted.
Although El Al cancelled a number of flights between Tel Aviv and Europe, the Israeli airline had not cancelled its Amsterdam service as of 10 a.m. The company was scheduled to operate two flights on Sunday from Schiphol, one of which showed a delay of several hours. El Al warned its passengers to pay close attention to its website amid the fluid situation, and offered them the possibility to change flights without penalty.
KLM also has a scheduled flight to Tel Aviv on Monday morning with a stop in Larnaca, Cyprus. El Al also has two nonstop flights over the course of Monday, and Israeli airline Arkia has another. The three airlines have direct or one-stop flights scheduled throughout the week, as does British budget carrier EasyJet.
On Saturday, KLM said it will immediately stop flying over Iranian airspace, and most of Israel. The airline said this was a precautionary decision ahead of global concern that Iran intended to carry out a counterattack after an airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus.
The incident killed a senior officer in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and six colleagues. Israel did not officially take credit for the Damascus strike.
KLM had intended to continue service to Tel Aviv, which lies on the Mediterranean Sea, and rerouting a few other flights around the increasingly tense region. A spokesperson for the airline told ANP that the Dutch airline is closely monitoring the situation and assessing safety issues daily.