Turkish Airlines, Pegasus suspend flights to Iran until Nov. 1
A Turkish Airlines (THY) plane prepares to take off from Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo)


Turkish carriers Turkish Airlines (THY) and Pegasus have suspended flights to Iran until Nov. 1, local media said on Wednesday, as Tehran braces for a promised retaliatory attack by Israel.

Both airlines have canceled flights to multiple Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan, for "security reasons," private broadcaster NTV reported.

The firms have yet to confirm the decision on their websites and social media.

However, Turkish Airlines' travel to Iran was shown as "canceled" on the website of Istanbul Airport, while Pegasus closed online bookings for Iran.

Concerns over a wider conflict in the Middle East have prompted international airlines to suspend flights to the region or to avoid affected air space.

Iran has been bracing for a retaliatory attack vowed by Israel after Tehran launched a barrage of around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on Oct. 1.

Turkish Airlines canceled night flights to Tehran in August, as fears mounted of an escalation in the Middle East, without officially announcing the decision.

Several carriers, including Lufthansa, have stopped flying to Tehran and the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

The German flagship airline said on Wednesday it was extending the suspension of its flights to Tehran and Beirut until early next year for operational reasons.

For Lufthansa, this means flights to Tehran will be suspended up to and including Jan. 31, 2025, while those to Beirut are suspended up to and including Feb. 28, 2025, it said.

Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings are all part of the Lufthansa Group.

SWISS said in a separate statement that flights to Beirut would be canceled up to and including Jan. 18, 2025, to provide greater planning certainty for both its passengers and crew.

Below are some of the other airlines that have canceled services to and from the region:

Aegean Airlines

The Greek airline has canceled flights to and from Beirut until Nov. 6 and to and from Tel Aviv until Nov. 5.

Air Algerie

The Algerian airline has suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.

Airbaltic

Latvia's airBaltic has canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Nov. 30.

Air France-KLM

Air France has extended its suspension of Paris-Tel Aviv flights until Oct. 29 and Paris-Beirut flights until Nov. 30.

KLM has extended the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until the end of the year at least.

The Franco-Dutch group's low-cost unit Transavia has canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Beirut until end-March.

Air India

The Indian flag carrier has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.

Bulgaria Air

The Bulgarian carrier has canceled flights to and from Israel until Oct. 31.

Cathay Pacific

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has canceled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 25, 2025.

Delta Air Lines

The U.S. carrier has paused flights between New York and Tel Aviv through March 2025.

easyJet

The U.K. budget airline has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until March.

Egyptair

The Egyptian carrier in September said it had suspended flights to Beirut until "the situation stabilizes."

Emirates

UAE's state-owned airline has canceled flights to Beirut through Oct. 31 and flights to Baghdad and Tehran until Oct. 30.

Ethiopian Airlines

The Ethiopian carrier has suspended flights to Beirut until further notice, it said in a Facebook post on Oct. 4.

flydubai

The Emirati airline has suspended Dubai-Beirut flights until Oct. 31, a flydubai spokesperson said.

IAG

IAG-owned British Airways has canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv through Oct. 26.

IAG's low-cost airline Iberia Express has canceled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 31, while Vueling has canceled operations to Tel Aviv until Jan. 12 and to Amman until further notice.

Iran Air

The Iranian airline has canceled Beirut flights until further notice.

Iraqi Airways

The Iraqi national carrier has suspended flights to Beirut until further notice.

ITA Airways

The Italian carrier has extended the suspension of Tel Aviv flights through Nov. 30.

LOT Polish Airlines

The Polish flag carrier has canceled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 26. Its first scheduled flight to Beirut is planned for April 1.

Lufthansa Group

The German airline group has extended the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until Nov. 10, while its low-cost carrier Eurowings has suspended them until Nov. 30.

SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, has suspended flights to Beirut through Dec. 17.

Qatar Airways

The Qatari airline has temporarily suspended flights to and from Iraq, Iran and Lebanon, while flights to Amman will operate during daylight hours only.

Ryanair

Europe's biggest budget airline has canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv until the end of December. Group CEO Michael O'Leary on Oct. 3 said the suspension was likely to be extended until end-March.

Sundair

The German airline canceled flights to Beirut from Berlin until Dec. 8, from Bremen until March 26, and from Muenster/Osnabrueck until March 29.

TAROM

Romania's flag carrier has suspended Beirut flights until Nov. 15.

United Airlines

The Chicago-based airline has suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future.

Virgin Atlantic

The U.K. carrier has suspended Tel Aviv flights until the end of March.

Wizz Air

The Hungary-based airline has suspended Tel Aviv flights through Jan. 14.