Air India Suspends Tel Aviv Flights Till May 6 After Houthi Missile Attack Near Israel’s Main Airport

<p>Air India has suspended its flights to and from Tel Aviv till 6 May following a missile attack near Israel&rsquo;s Ben Gurion Airport. An Air India flight from Delhi to Tel Aviv was diverted to Abu Dhabi on Sunday morning after the missile landed close to the airport.&nbsp;Flight AI139, operated with a Boeing 787 aircraft, was nearing its destination when the attack occurred.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Air India flight AI139 from Delhi to Tel Aviv of 4 May 2025 was diverted to Abu Dhabi after an incident at Ben Gurion airport this morning. The flight has landed normally in Abu Dhabi and will soon return to Delhi,&rdquo; the airline said in a <a href=”https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1918988145565065387″>statement, as per news agency ANI</a>.</p>
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”>
<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”><a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/TravelAdvisory?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#TravelAdvisory</a><br /><br />Consequent to developments in Tel Aviv this morning, our operations to and from Tel Aviv will remain suspended with immediate effect till 6th May 2025, to ensure the safety of our customers and staff. Our colleagues on ground are assisting customers and helping&hellip;</p>
&mdash; Air India (@airindia) <a href=”https://twitter.com/airindia/status/1918983945820963002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>May 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<p>The airline further announced that it was suspending operations to Tel Aviv with immediate effect till 6 May in order to &ldquo;ensure the safety of its customers and staff&rdquo;. According to Flightradar24.com, the aircraft was in Jordanian airspace when the decision was made to divert it.</p>
<p>Air India&rsquo;s return flight from Tel Aviv to Delhi scheduled for Sunday has also been cancelled. The airline said passengers holding valid tickets for Tel Aviv flights between 4 and 6 May would be offered a one-time waiver on rescheduling or full refunds for cancellations.</p>
<h3><strong>Houthi Missile Strike Near Israel’s Main Airport, 4 Injured</strong></h3>
<p>According to the BBC, Israeli authorities confirmed that a missile fired from Yemen landed near the main terminal of Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday morning. Unverified video footage circulating online appeared to show vehicles pulling over on a nearby road as a projectile struck, resulting in a plume of black smoke.</p>
<p>Israeli media, citing emergency services, reported that four people were injured in the blast, with two others hurt while rushing to a shelter.</p>
<p>Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz responded with a warning: &ldquo;Anyone who hits us, we will hit them seven times stronger.&rdquo; According to BBC, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree declared in a televised statement that the Israeli airport was &ldquo;no longer safe for air travel&rdquo;.</p>
<p>Flights to Ben Gurion Airport were temporarily halted but later resumed. Sirens were reportedly activated in various parts of Israel as the missile approached. The Israeli Air Force said it was investigating the failure of its defence systems to intercept the projectile, BBC’s report stated.</p>
<p>Senior Israeli police commander Yair Hetzroni showed reporters the impact site near Terminal 3&rsquo;s parking lot. &ldquo;You can see the scene right behind us here, a hole that opened up with a diameter of tens of metres and also tens of metres deep,&rdquo; he said, adding that there was no significant damage.</p>
<p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet ministers and defence officials to discuss a response, Channel 12 News reported.</p>
<p>The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen, have repeatedly launched missile attacks towards Israel in support of Hamas, although it is rare for these to penetrate Israel&rsquo;s advanced air defence systems. The group has also targeted vessels in the Red Sea, prompting retaliatory bombing campaigns by the United States and the United Kingdom.</p>
<p>Germany&rsquo;s Lufthansa Group has also decided to suspend flights to Tel Aviv up to and including 6 May due to the ongoing situation, a spokesperson told Reuters on Sunday.</p>