Less than a week after re-instating flights between Canada and Israel, Air Canada cancelled service due to the weekend’s missile and drone attack against the country by Iran. Air Canada stated on its website that operations to Tel Aviv were “paused” with flights cancelled on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. At press time, the carrier said the next scheduled flight is now Thursday, April 16.

It added, “We remain in contact with the Canadian Government and will continue to closely monitor the situation, adjusting accordingly.”

Air Canada had resumed flights between Toronto and Ben Gurion International Airport April 9 after a six-month pause precipitated by the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 8. A once-weekly flight between Montreal and Tel Aviv was announced to resume in May.

On Saturday, Iran launched 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles toward Israel, according to the government of Israel, which also said it had shot down 99% of them.

The attack marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. The attack happened less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria that killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building in Syria.

Global Affairs

The latest turmoil in the region prompted Global Affairs Canada to reiterate its advisory for Canadians to avoid all travel to Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, at the same time also advising Canadians to avoid all travel to Iran.

The “avoid all travel” warning is defined as: “You should not travel to this country, territory, or region. Your personal safety and security are at great risk. If you are already there, you should think about leaving if it is safe to do so.”

Air Canada

Meanwhile, at Air Canada, the airline says passengers can make voluntary changes to their Israel itineraries under the following conditions:

• (If) You purchased an Air Canada ticket no later than April 13, 2024, for travel between April 13, 2024, and May 15, 2024.

• Your itinerary includes a flight to, from, or via Tel Aviv (TLV).

Passengers may also change to another Air Canada flight, free of charge, on another date between now and June 30, 2024, based on the fare originally purchased.

Those who choose to cancel their trip have the option of receiving an e-credit for future travel or a full refund; or fly to/from another destination without penalty (but any fare difference will apply).