Israel/Palestanian Hostilities: US And British Airlines Cancel Flights To Israel

Numerous flights to Israel were canceled Tuesday by several major European and North American airlines, which decided to interrupt service to Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv after a rocket fell in proximity. Airlines have been showing extreme caution since the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 last Thursday, believed to be shot down by a surface-to-air missile over Ukraine.

The Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) on Tuesday quite simply banned planes of American airlines from flying to or from Israel for a period of 24 hours.The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), said Tuesday to AFP that she was going to recommend to all European companies, no later than Wednesday, to no longer serve Israel.

Many companies did not wait for official directives to act, such as Delta Airlines, Air France or Lufthansa. “Due to the potentially dangerous situation due to the armed conflict in Israel and Gaza, all flights by US airlines to and from Ben-Gurion International Airport are banned until further notice,” the FAA said shortly after 4:00 p.m. GMT. “Updated instructions” will be given “as soon as possible”, she added.

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Even before the official notice from the FAA was released, Delta, US Airways and United Airlines had already canceled several flights to and from Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

Delta even rerouted one of its airplanes, which had almost arrived in Tel Aviv: his Boeing 747, which left JFK airport in New York with 290 people on board, thus turned around and was redirected to Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport. State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf announced later today that the ban could be extended by 24 hours, saying Washington had consulted with the Israeli government before making the decision.

– Consequences on tourism –

Two weeks after the start of an Israeli-led offensive in the Gaza Strip, which left more than 600 Palestinians dead, the UN chief and the head of US diplomacy tried on Tuesday to extract a ceasefire.

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Twenty-seven Israeli soldiers and two civilians have also been killed since the start of these operations. Monday the department State had issued a warning asking American nationals not to travel to Israel, the Gaza Strip, or the West Bank. As for European companies, Air France said Tuesday it had canceled its flights to and from Tel Aviv “until further notice”. Lufthansa said to do the same for a period of 72 hours, “for the safety of passengers and crew”.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has also suspended its services, citing “security reasons”. British Airways and its low-cost competitor EasyJet, however, have maintained their flights. “We continue to operate as usual,” said a spokesperson for British Airways. “Safety and security are our top priorities and we continue to monitor the situation,” he added.

Air Canada for its part canceled its flights to and from Tel Aviv, stressing on its Twitter account that it continued to closely monitor any development of the situation. The Malaysian airliner crash in eastern Ukraine has highlighted the vulnerability of commercial aircraft to surface-to-air missiles, even when flying at altitudes above 10,000 meters.

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But the Israeli transport minister assured Tuesday that there was “no reason” for airlines to cancel flights to Israel. These serial cancellations risk having an impact on tourism in Israel, already undermined by the fifteen days of conflict with Palestinian Hamas. she continued to watch any developments in the situation closely.

The Malaysian airliner crash in eastern Ukraine has highlighted the vulnerability of commercial aircraft to surface-to-air missiles, even when flying at altitudes above 10,000 meters. But the Israeli transport minister assured Tuesday that there was “no reason” for airlines to cancel flights to Israel.

These serial cancellations risk having an impact on tourism in Israel, already undermined by the fortnight of conflict with Palestinian Hamas. she continued to watch any developments in the situation closely.

The Malaysian airliner crash in eastern Ukraine has highlighted the vulnerability of commercial aircraft to surface-to-air missiles, even when flying at altitudes above 10,000 meters.

But the Israeli transport minister assured Tuesday that there was “no reason” for airlines to cancel flights to Israel. These serial cancellations risk having an impact on tourism in Israel, already undermined by the fifteen days of conflict with Palestinian Hamas. even when they fly at an altitude above 10,000 meters.

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But the Israeli transport minister assured Tuesday that there was “no reason” for airlines to cancel flights to Israel. These serial cancellations risk having an impact on tourism in Israel, already undermined by the fortnight of conflict with Palestinian Hamas. even when they fly at an altitude above 10,000 meters.

But the Israeli transport minister assured Tuesday that there was “no reason” for airlines to cancel flights to Israel. These serial cancellations risk having an impact on tourism in Israel, already undermined by the fortnight of conflict with Palestinian Hamas.

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