Italian airline ITA Airways has updated its official statement, attributing the cancellation of flights to Israel through Tuesday, July 28, to 'operational reasons,' after initially citing 'political reasons,' according to journalist Dean Fisher (Channel 12).
ITA Airways has updated its official justification for the cancellation of flights to Israel, now attributing the suspensions through at least Tuesday, July 28, to 'operational reasons,' according to Israeli journalist Dean Fisher (Channel 12). The change comes after the airline initially cited 'political reasons' for the cancellations, as reported in earlier versions of the thread. The revised statement was issued as of 18:38 Jerusalem time, with no further explanation from the carrier for the shift in language.
Earlier today, at 00:06 Jerusalem, ITA Airways extended its flight suspensions through Tuesday, July 28, and explicitly cited 'political reasons' — a departure from the security-related justifications used by most other airlines. The airline also confirmed the cancellation of its Sunday, July 26, flights to Israel. The Zioneer reported at 14:28 Jerusalem that ITA had canceled Sunday flights, following the earlier extension. The thread shows that the source of this information has evolved from the airline's own initial statement to a corrected version, with Dean Fisher (Channel 12) serving as the consistent reporter.
ITA Airways is part of the Lufthansa Group. The Zioneer has reported on a broader pattern of international carriers suspending or reducing service to Israel, including Austrian Airlines (extended through June 12), Air France (through June 30), and Air India (postponed to September 30). No US airline is expected to resume flights before September, as The Zioneer reported on July 21. These suspensions come amid heightened regional security concerns, including tensions with Iran and Iran-related flight cancellations reported on July 17.
The airline has not explained why it changed its justification from 'political reasons' to 'operational reasons.' The cancellation period through Tuesday, July 28, remains unchanged, and it is unclear whether other carriers will adjust their policies in response.
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