EasyJet CEO wants to restart Israel flights when it can

LONDON (Reuters) - The chief executive of easyJet said the British airline wanted to restart flights to Israel as soon as possible but it could not currently say when this would happen.

"That is obviously something that we want to do as soon as possible but we cannot say now when that is," CEO Johan Lundgren told reporters on Thursday.

EasyJet suspended flights to Tel Aviv on Sunday until next Tuesday and said it would continue to evaluate the situation on a daily basis.

British Airways had continued to fly to Tel Aviv until Wednesday, when it suspended the route, hours after one of its planes diverted back to London due to security concerns just before it was due to arrive at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport.

Lundgren said the situation in Israel had not impacted demand for flights to neighbouring countries like Egypt or Turkey.

The decision to restart Israel flights would depend on information from multiple sources, said Lundgren, adding that the airline was engaging with 10 to 12 different government authorities and security experts.

(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Paul Sandle)