Ryanair Suspends Flights to Israel Through July, Potentially Canceling Nearly 200,000 Tickets

Low-cost airline Ryanair has announced an extension of its flight suspension to Israel, now set to continue until the end of July. As a result, nearly 200,000 bookings are expected to be canceled.

Earlier this week, the Lufthansa Group, which operates Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings, also extended its suspension of flights to Israel, now in place until June 15.

Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Reilly, recently commented on the deteriorating security environment in Israel and the risks to civilian air traffic. In an interview with Reuters, he hinted that the company might halt operations in Israel entirely.

“I think we are also losing patience with Israel… the flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport,” O’Reilly said. “Honestly, if these disruptions continue, we would be better off moving these planes to somewhere else in Europe.”

Ryanair had resumed flights to Israel at the end of March, planning connections from 22 cities across 12 European countries. However, it suspended service again earlier this month following a ballistic missile strike near Ben-Gurion Airport.

The company has now pulled all Israel-bound flights from its website through July, indicating a significant pause in its operations.