The European Union Aviation Safety Agency lowered its aviation risk classification for Israel and parts of the Middle East Wednesday, replacing its high-risk conflict zone advisory with a medium-level Information Note.
The agency said that the existing Conflict Zone Information Bulletin covering the Middle East and Persian Gulf expired on July 8 and made the decision to not extend it.
Under the expired designation, airlines faced additional security requirements as well as risk assessments, including what routes to take in the affected airspace. These factors required airlines to make decisions about what routes to operate and to assess potential insurance premium hikes.
The new advisory now means that airlines can decide whether to return to Israel based on their individual security assessments, including the popular major low-cost European airlines such as Britain’s easyJet and Ireland’s Ryanair, along with Hungary’s WizzAir.
Major international airlines, including American carriers, chose to suspend flights at various times over the past almost three years following ongoing conflict in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, including the Iran-Israel war earlier this year.
