Lufthansa extends suspensions to Middle Eastern cities amid regional tensions

ERBIL – German airline Lufthansa has extended its suspension of flights to several Middle Eastern cities, including Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, for another week until August 21 due to escalating regional tensions.

All flights to and from Tel Aviv, Tehran, Beirut, Erbil, and Amman will remain suspended until Aug. 21, the German flag carrier said in a statement. This marks the third extension of the suspension.

Lufthansa will avoid using Iraqi and Iranian airspace during this period, according to the statement.

Lufthansa stated that affected passengers can rebook or cancel their trips at no additional cost, expressing regret for the inconvenience caused “due to the current situation.”

Tensions have escalated as Iran and its allies vowed to retaliate for the recent high-profile killings of Hezbollah’s top military commander Fuad Shukr in Lebanon and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, both of which have been attributed to Israel.

Ahmed Hoshyar, the director of Erbil International Airport, told 964media that no other airlines have canceled their flights to Erbil, and flights are continuing as scheduled.

964media inquired about the number of Lufthansa flights to Erbil, but the airport director responded, “We don’t know, and there are no guarantees.”

Lufthansa flights to the Middle East crisis region were initially canceled until Aug. 13. In line with the Lufthansa Group’s decision, scheduled flights to the region by Eurowings, Swiss, Austrian, and Brussels Airlines were also canceled.

According to The Times of Israel, several reports on Sunday evening suggested that Israel was anticipating a significant Iranian attack to occur within the coming days.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that Iran was making preparations for a large-scale military attack on Israel.