Korean Air cancels, delays flights amid Israel-Hamas war

Korean Air Lines' website informs visitors of irregular service for the Incheon-Tel Aviv route on Monday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Korean Air Lines, the sole Korean carrier that runs direct flights to Israel, canceled the flights slated to depart from Incheon to Tel Aviv this week in response to the recent armed conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Flight KE957, originally slated to depart from Incheon to Tel Aviv at 2:35 p.m. on Monday, was canceled following an emergency meeting held by the airline to assess the prevailing situation.

Korean Air is the sole carrier servicing direct flights between Korea and Israel, operating the Incheon-Tel Aviv route three times a week, specifically on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

In a late Monday announcement, the largest Korean airline also confirmed the cancellation of flights scheduled to depart from Incheon to Tel Aviv on Wednesday and Friday this week.

Regarding return flights, Korean Air has announced a 15-hour delay for flight KE958, initially scheduled to depart from Tel Aviv to Incheon at 10:45 p.m. on Monday. The new departure time is 1:45 p.m. local time on Tuesday, with an arrival time of 6:10 a.m. the following day.

Decisions concerning the return flights on Wednesday and Friday are being made through consultations one day prior to each respective flight to ensure the smooth transportation of passengers.

In a notice on its website, Korean Air urged passengers to check their flight status as some flights may be delayed or canceled due to volatile conditions in Israel.

Korean Air's Incheon to Dubai flights remain unaffected.

“With passenger safety being our priority, we will closely monitor evolving local conditions to decide the continuation of our operations,” Korean Air said, adding that fees will be waived for flight changes or refund requests.

The government estimates there are approximately 570 long-term Korean residents in Israel and 360 tourists.

The government has issued a special travel advisory for Israel and emphasized close collaboration with Korean Air to ensure the safe repatriation of Korean nationals.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]