ALL U.S. Flights to Israel Cancelled:
FAA Bans Travel to Tel Aviv as Delta Plane Turns Back at Last Minute...
-After Rocket Attack Near Airport
- Delta Flight 468 from New York to Tel Aviv carrying 273 passengers and 17 crew was rerouted to Paris Tuesday
- US Airways canceled its Tuesday flight from Philadelphia to Tel Aviv and then suspended all service
- A rocket fired from Gaza damaged a house less than a mile from Ben-Gurion International Airport
- FAA issued a warning Tuesday banning all American carriers from flying to Israel for up to 24 hours
- Israel's transport minister questioned the FAA ban, insisting that the Tel Aviv airport was secure
- Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian airlines, KLM, Air France and Air Canada are suspending service to Ben-Gurion for 36 hours
Daily Mail UK, 22 July 2014
Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and a growing number of European air carriers have suspended service to Israel until further notice, citing reports that a rocket landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport.
A Delta Boeing 747 from New York was flying over the Mediterranean headed for Tel Aviv on Tuesday when it turned around and flew to Paris instead. Flight 468 had 273 passengers and 17 crew on board.
'Delta has suspended service until further notice to and from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and its New York-JFK hub,' the airline said in a statement posted on its official website Tuesday.
Change of plans: Delta Flight 468 from New York to Tel Aviv carrying 273 passengers and 17 crew was rerouted to Paris Tuesday (pictured)
Suspended service: Delta Airline on Tuesday halted all flights from New york to Tel Aviv until further notice
'Delta, in coordination with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, is doing so to ensure the safety and security of our customers and employees.'
Amanda Mel, a passenger aboard the diverted Delta Flight 468, said:
'We were told that the flight has been canceled without getting any explanation.
'Only hours later I saw the reports on the news and I understood,' said Ms Mel, who was trying to return home to Tel Aviv from New York.
The passenger added that while the airlines' concern is understandable, she speculated that the decision to ban flights to Tel Aviv may have been a politically motivated move to help end the military operation in Gaza.
US Airways, which has one daily flight from Philadelphia, canceled that flight Tuesday and the return trip from Tel Aviv, saying that it is monitoring the situation.
United Airlines, which has two flights daily to Israel out of Newark, New Jersey, grounded these flights until further notice.
American Airlines said that the carrier is planning to hold a meeting shortly to discuss its service in and out of Israel.
Early Tuesday afternoon, the FAA issued a ban prohibiting all American air carriers from operating flights to Israel 'for a period of up to 24 hours.'
The notice came in response to a rocket strike which landed approximately one mile from Ben Gurion International Airport on the morning ... [and] applies only to U.S. operators, and has no authority over foreign airlines operating to or from the airport,' according to the statement.
Grounded: A departure board at the Philadelphia International Airport shows that US Airways Flight 796 to Tel Aviv has been canceled Tuesday
Reassured: Israey's Transport Ministry issued a statement insisting that Ben Gurion is safe and well guarded, and there is no reason to suspend flights to Tel Aviv
The agency said it will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation, and that updated instructions will be provided to U.S. airlines "as soon as conditions permit, but no later than 24 hours" from the time the directive went into force.
Israeli Transport Minister Israel Katz responded to the FAA ban by insisting that there was no reason whatsoever for American air carriers to suspend service to Israel and 'hand terror a prize.'
The agency called on the airlines to reverse their decision and added that the airport was 'safe for landings and departures.'
Just after 1pm, Germany's Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian airlines announced they are also suspending service to Ben-Gurion for 36 hours, followed by the Dutch KLM, Air France and Air Canada.
But British Airways said that it will continue operating flights to Israel 'as normal' while monitoring the situation closely.
The Israeli newspaper reported that two rockets were intercepted Monday morning over the Shfela area, including Ben-Gurion International airport - Israeli's main flight hub.
US asks individual airlines to decide on flying over Mideast...
Target: The flight cancellations come a day after a rocket struck a house just 3 miles from Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv
Close call: Israeli rescue and military personnel at the wreckage of a home in the town of Yehud, outside Tel Aviv,
and near the Ben Gurion Airport, that was hit by a missile fired by Palestinian militants from inside the Gaza Strip July 22
A rocket also caused damage in the city of Yehud located only a mile from the airport. Police spokeswomen Luba Samri said the strike destroyed a house and slightly wounded one Israeli.
Aviation and legal experts said Tuesday that airlines are now taking risk assessment into their own hands, both for the safety of passengers and to avoid claims of negligence.
Aviation consultant Robert Mann said airlines are becoming more proactive in the wake of the Flight 17 disaster.
'It's really forcing every carrier, every business jet operator to do their own due diligence, do their own risk assessment, given the geopolitical situation,' Mann said.
Jonathan Reiter, a prominent New York aviation-accident attorney, said flying into an airport after a near-miss by a rocket could be used to show that the airline was negligent. That explains why airlines are suspending service to Israel.
Aftermath of rocket attack that prompted Tel Aviv travel ban
'I'm sure it is human concern as well,' Reiter said, 'but I think [the airlines] feel it is wise to err on the side of caution because it is their burden to prove they are doing everything possible to avoid injuries and deaths.'
Airlines and passengers are growing more anxious about safety since last week, when a Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
Last Thursday, Delta released a statement saying that flights will no longer be routed through Ukrainian airspace 'out of an abundance of caution.'