British Airways has suspended all flights to and from Israel after a ballistic missile struck near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday 4 May 2025… Writes Zahra Jawad
The missile, reportedly launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, injured six civilians and marked the first time such a projectile landed so close to a populated area in Israel.
“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority,” a British Airways spokesperson said. “We continually monitor operating conditions and have made the decision to suspend all our flights to and from Tel Aviv.”
Originally, the suspension was set to last until May 7, 2025. However, considering evolving security concerns, the airline later confirmed that the halt in service would be extended until at least June 14, 2025.
British Airways reiterated that it is “continually monitoring operating conditions” and will only resume flights when it is deemed safe to do so.
This is not the first time British Airways has paused its operations to Israel.
The airline previously suspended flights in October 2023 and again in October 2024 due to regional instability.
Flights had only resumed in April 2025, just one month before the latest incident.
Despite multiple efforts to intercept the incoming missile, both the Israeli Arrow air defence system and the U.S.-supplied Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system failed to neutralise the threat.
The THAAD system is a mobile, U.S.-developed missile defence platform designed to intercept short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their terminal descent phase.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the missile strike, stating that it was launched in retaliation for what they referred to as “Israel’s genocidal actions against civilians in Gaza.”
The fallout has prompted several international carriers to suspend short-term operations to and from Ben Gurion Airport.
Among them, the Lufthansa Group has cancelled its flights until at least May 11, 2025. However, British Airways currently holds the longest suspension of service among major international airlines—a status that could change depending on how the situation unfolds.
According to The Times of Israel, only a few airlines such as Flydubai, Emirates, and JetBlue Airways continue to operate limited flights in and out of Ben Gurion Airport.
These disruptions have led to a significant drop in daily passenger traffic. While numbers averaged around 70,000 per day in late April, recent estimates suggest that figure has fallen to approximately 40,000.
In response, Israeli airlines have scrambled to increase flight availability to bring stranded citizen’s home. However, there are growing concerns that if low-cost carriers do not resume operations soon, airfare prices may surge due to reduced competition.
The situation continues to be closely monitored by several international airlines as security developments unfold.
