German airlines cancel more flights to Tel Aviv

Germany’s top two airlines on Wednesday cancelled further flights to Tel Aviv over security concerns amid the escalating Gaza conflict.

The Lufthansa group and Air Berlin said they were each suspending service to Tel Aviv Thursday after already halting flights to Israel’s main international airport for 36 hours from Tuesday.

Lufthansa, which also operates Germanwings, Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Brussels Airlines, said it was “evaluating the security situation in close consultation with the responsible authorities”.

It said it had cancelled a total of 20 scheduled flights to Ben Gurion International Airport on Thursday from Frankfurt, Munich, Cologne, Zurich, Vienna and Brussels.

“At the moment there is no reliable new information that would justify a resumption of flight service,” it said in a statement.

Several major airlines around the world halted service after a rocket fired from Gaza struck near the Tel Aviv airport.