European airlines extend suspension of Middle East flights

Agencies | Frankfurt, Germany

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Top European airlines Lufthansa, KLM and Swiss announced Tuesday they were extending their suspension of flights to the Middle East, as tensions spiral throughout the region.

KLM has pushed out until the end of the year the suspension of its once- daily flight to Tel Aviv “given the situation in the region,” spokeswoman Elvira van der Vis told AFP.

The Dutch airline had already announced in August that it was suspending flights to Israel until October 26.

Earlier Tuesday, German airline group Lufthansa said it was suspending flights to Beirut up to and including November 30.

Lufthansa group flights to Tel Aviv will be cancelled until October 31 while trips to Tehran remain cancelled until October 14.

The Lufthansa group -- whose carriers also include Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines -- has repeatedly modified its flight schedule in recent months due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, as have other airlines.

Following the example of its parent company, Swiss said the extension of its flight suspensions was “intended to provide more predictability for both our passengers and our crews”.