Lufthansa Halts Flights to Tehran Amid Middle East Tensions
On Wednesday, German Lufthansa announced their decision to halt flights from and to Iran’s capital, Tehran, until Thursday, but then extended the period of flight suspension until April 13 due to the risk of escalation of military conflict between Iran and Israel.
- 2024-04-11
- 6:57 PM GMT
The Middle East and the US have been on high alert for a probable attack by Iran since April 1 in response to the airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria, allegedly conducted by Israeli warplanes. Seven military advisers were killed, and Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said that Israel must be punished for this attack.
Meanwhile, the tensions were stoked by an Iranian news agency, Mehr, when they published a report on X, notifying about the closure of all airspace over Tehran for military drills. The report was removed shortly, and the agency denied posting such news at all.
A Lufthansa’s spokesperson claims that they keep monitoring the military situation in the Middle East and stay in close contact with the authorities to decide on the best timeline for a resumption of flights. Safety is the top priority for Lufthansa, so they will implement all the necessary measures to protect their guests and crew members.
Everyone whose flight to/from Tehran was disrupted due to the Middle East tensions may be eligible for Lufthansa canceled flight compensation. Austrian Airlines, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, was still planning flights from Vienna to Tehran on Thursday, although they announced changes in timing to avoid overnight stays. Other international airlines did not report anything about flight suspensions.
