On 5 November 2026 the Lufthansa Group announced its crews would not stay overnight in Israel until the end of the month. Since then some flights stop on the way for a crew change, some were cancelled, and some left many hours late.
What happened
According to Israel Hayom and the Jerusalem Post, the group – Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels and ITA – decided, amid concern about regional escalation, that its crews would not stay overnight in Tel Aviv, at least until 30 November. According to IAS, morning departures from Ben Gurion – LH691 to Frankfurt, LH683 to Munich and LX257 to Zurich – stop for about an hour in Athens or Larnaca to change crews. The company itself said some flights would be cancelled.
On the Ben Gurion flight board we saw repeated cancellations of Lufthansa and Austrian flights to and from Frankfurt and Vienna between 7 and 10 November. Flight LH695 on 7 November left about 18 hours late (flight details). The number of affected passengers has not been published.
What passengers are owed
- A full refund or an alternative ticket – always. Even when a cancellation is for security reasons, Israeli law requires the airline to offer you the choice, and to refund within 21 days. All about full refunds.
- Assistance – always. Food and drink, a hotel and transfers when needed, depending on the wait – including kosher food. Kosher food during delays.
- Compensation – an open question. Lufthansa is likely to argue these were special circumstances beyond its control. On the other hand, Ben Gurion operated normally and many airlines, including European ones, kept flying. Whether a precautionary decision by an airline, without an airspace closure, exempts it is something we found no ruling on yet.
- Notice: the announcement came on 5 November. If you were told about the cancellation less than 14 days before the flight, the notice doesn’t exempt the airline from compensation.
- Which law? Under Israeli law: ₪2,450 for flights to Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna or Zurich (2,000–4,500 km). Under EU261 (flights from Europe, and flights from Tel Aviv on a European airline): €400. You can’t get both – you choose.
- A one-hour stop in Athens is not a cancellation. But if it made you arrive 3 hours or more late, EU261 may apply.
What to do now
- Keep the message about the change – the date you received it matters.
- Keep receipts for food, hotel and transfers.
- Ask the airline in writing for the reason for the cancellation or delay.
- Check for free what you’re owed, or prepare a claim letter yourself with the free claim kit.
General information, not legal advice. EinTisa is not a law firm.