An Air India flight from Delhi to Tel Aviv was diverted to Abu Dhabi on Sunday after a missile attack near the Ben Gurion Airport in the Israeli city.
The missile attack happened less than an hour before the Air India flight AI139 was to land at Tel Aviv, reported PTI.
According to information on the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, the flight was in Jordanian airspace when it was diverted to Abu Dhabi.
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Air India said that the flight landed normally in Abu Dhabi and will soon return to Delhi.
“Air India flight AI139 from Delhi to Tel Aviv of 3 May 2025 was diverted to Abu Dhabi after an incident at Ben Gurion airport this morning. The flight has landed normally in Abu Dhabi and will soon return to Delhi,” an Air India spokesperson said.
It also announced that the flight between Delhi and Tel Aviv will remain suspended till May 6.
“Consequently, our operations to and from Tel Aviv will remain suspended with immediate effect till 6 May 2025, to ensure the safety of our customers and staff. Our staff on the ground is assisting customers and helping them with alternative arrangements,” the spokesperson said.
“Customers booked on our flights with valid tickets between 3 and 6 May 2025 will be offered a one-time waiver on rescheduling or full refunds for cancellation. We would like to reiterate that at Air India, the safety of our customers and crew remains top priority,” the spokesperson added.
Attack on Tel Aviv airport
Earlier today, the Israeli police said air traffic to the country’s main airport in Tel Aviv was briefly closed after a missile was launched from Yemen.
Police said plane traffic and other activity around the airport were expected to resume after officers performed final searches, according to the Associated Press.
A plume of smoke was seen rising earlier from near the airport after the missile was launched. Passengers were heard yelling and scrambling for cover, according to the news agency.
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A senior Israeli police commander, Yair Hetzroni, showed reporters a crater caused by the impact of the missile, which airport authorities said had landed beside a road near a Terminal 3 parking lot, reported Reuters.
“You can see the scene right behind us here, a hole that opened up with a diametre of tens of metres and also tens of metres deep,” Hetzroni said, adding that there was no significant damage.
Israel’s paramedic service Magen David Adom said four people were lightly wounded.
The Houthi rebels, who have been striking Israel throughout the war in Gaza in solidarity with Palestinians, said in a video statement that the group fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at the airport, reported the Associated Press.
Israeli defense minister Israel Katz vowed retribution for the airport attack: “Whoever harms us, we will harm them sevenfold.”