British Airways and Virgin Atlantic suspend Tel Aviv flights after Hamas says it attacked airport
British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic have suspended flights to Tel Aviv – after Hamas said it had attacked the Israeli airport.
The decisions were made after a BA flight was on approach to the airport when the captain made the decision to divert back to Heathrow.
A spokesperson for Israel’s airports authority said rockets were flying around Tel Aviv at the time but were not an immediate threat to the flight or to Ben Gurion Airport.
Hamas’s armed military wing said a missile had struck the grounds. Al Qassam Brigades said it had “bombarded” the site in response to civilians being targeted by Israel.
Information from flight-tracking website Flightradar showed the BA flight in question, 165, had almost reached Tel Aviv when the landing was aborted.
Its imagery suggested the plane banked to the right and continued back over the Mediterranean, largely retracing its inbound flight path from Heathrow.
The incident took place before Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who is in Israel on a solidarity visit, was forced to run for shelter when a siren warning of rocket fire sounded.
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Cleverly runs for cover in Israel
British Airways, which had been among only a handful of global airlines to continue flights to and from Tel Aviv since Saturday’s attack on Israel by Hamas, said safety was always its “highest priority”.
“Following the latest assessment of the situation we’re suspending our flights to and from Tel Aviv”, the airline’s statement continued.
“We’re contacting customers booked to travel to or from Tel Aviv to apologise for the inconvenience and offer options including a full refund and rebooking with another airline or with British Airways at a later date.
“We continue to monitor the situation in the region closely.”
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Other airlines, including Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz halted services to Tel Aviv earlier in the week and were largely expected to maintain that position until such time air space was free of military threat.
Virgin Atlantic, which had curbed its schedule but not cut flights completely, said later on Wednesday evening: “The safety of our customers and our teams is our number one priority, always.
“After careful consideration, based on latest information, we have taken the decision to pause flying to and from Tel Aviv for the next 72 hours.
“As the dynamic situation evolves, we’ll keep our flying programme under constant review.
“Our teams will be in contact with any affected customers to discuss their options, which include rebooking to a later date or a full refund.
“We would advise anyone booked to travel to check their flight status on the website before travelling to the airport.”
Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has died after being attacked in prison.
Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year jail term for multiple sexual offences, including serious crimes against young children and babies at HMP Wakefield, in West Yorkshire.
He was attacked with a knife by another inmate on Saturday morning, sources have confirmed.
West Yorkshire Police said two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
A police van outside Wakefield prison. Pic: YappApp
Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene after prison staff reported the assault to police.
The prison went into lockdown in the immediate aftermath of the incident, sources added.
A Prison Service spokesperson said they could not comment while the police investigate.
Watkins was previously stabbed in an incident at the same prison in 2023, suffering non life-threatening injuries after he was reportedly taken hostage by three other inmates before being freed by prison officers six hours later.
He was sentenced in December 2013 to 29 years in prison, with a further six years on licence, after admitting 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.
Watkins performing in 2004. Pic: PA
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He also encouraged a second fan to abuse her child during a webcam chat and secretly stashed child sexual abuse videos, some of which he had made himself.
At the time, police described him as a “committed, organised paedophile”.
Having found fame in Welsh rock band Lostprophets, Watkins was arrested after his Pontypridd home was searched on orders of a drug warrant in September 2012.
A large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized during the search.
When sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court, the singer was told he was being given an extended sentence – and a judge said his crimes “plumbed new depths of depravity”.
After being caught with a mobile phone behind bars in 2019, he told a court that he was locked up with “murderers, mass murderers, rapists, paedophiles, serial killers – the worst of the worst”.
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