Lufthansa Cargo has imposed an embargo on the delivery of military cargo to and from Israel

The Israeli economic publication Globes writes that on the eve of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to Israel, the German airline Lufthansa Cargo notified international freight forwarders that it was imposing an embargo on all military and defense cargo sent to and from Tel Aviv. The embargo was announced a day after Israeli Hetz-3 missile defense systems were deployed in Germany.

In the circular, the company wrote that the ban takes effect immediately (that is, from December 4, 2025) and is valid “until further notice,” promising to inform customers as additional information becomes available.

Lufthansa Cargo fully resumed cargo flights to Israel on August 1, with seven flights per week now (three on Boeing 777s and four on Airbus 321s). The Lufthansa group as a whole stopped flying to Israel in early June and delayed its planned return due to the People Like a Lion military operation against Iran, but resumed flights from Frankfurt on August 1 and then gradually returned to its normal schedule. In December, the group increases the number of flights to Israel from 64 to 74 per week: Lufthansa itself operates about 21 flights from Frankfurt and 14 from Munich, with others provided by Austrian Airlines, Swiss, Brussels Airlines, ITA and Eurowings.

Lufthansa Cargo explained that it operates in full compliance with “all relevant laws and regulations.” According to the Lufthansa Cargo press service, due to British export controls and current sanctions, “the transport of military equipment and its components to and from Tel Aviv is currently impossible for Lufthansa Cargo, regardless of the route.” At the same time, the air carrier claims that it is working to find solutions that will allow, subject to all requirements, “individual shipments.”