Yahoo – AFP,
July 23, 2014
Washington
(AFP) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned US airlines Tuesday
from flying to and from Israel for at least 24 hours amid safety concerns
sparked by the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
FAA bars US airlines from Israel for 24 hours amid Gaza crisis (AFP) |
The US
government agency said its prohibition applied only to US air carriers, and
that "updated instructions" would be issued "as soon as
conditions permit."
Delta, US
Airways and United Airlines had earlier halted flights to and from Tel Aviv's
main Ben Gurion International Airport, amid reports of a rocket strike nearby.
"Due
to the potentially hazardous situation created by the armed conflict in Israel
and Gaza, all flight operations to/from Ben Gurion International Airport by US
operators are prohibited until further advised," said the FAA's Notice to
Airmen, or NOTAM, issued shortly after 1600 GMT.
"This
NOTAM will be updated within 24 hours," it added.
In a press
statement, the FAA said it immediately notified US carriers when it learned of
the rocket strike, informing them that a NOTAM was in the works.
Prior to
the NOTAM being issued, however, Delta announced it had diverted a Tel
Aviv-bound flight to Paris after "reports of a rocket or associated
debris" near the airport.
"Delta,
in coordination with the US Federal Aviation Administration, is doing so to
ensure the safety and security of our customers and employees," it said in
a statement.
US Airways
meanwhile told AFP in a Twitter exchange it had canceled its flights Tuesday
between Philadelphia and Tel Aviv "in response to security concerns"
at Ben Gurion airport.
And United
said: "We're suspending operations to/from Tel Aviv until further notice.
We'll continue to evaluate the situation."
It was more
discreet on its website, where it said its two flights Tuesday to Tel Aviv from
Newark airport outside New York had been "canceled due to aircraft
availability."
Fears of a
rocket hitting a passenger airliner have surged worldwide after last week's
downing of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 over eastern Ukraine with nearly 300
on board.
That
incident underscored the vulnerability of commercial aircraft to surface-to-air
missiles, even at cruising altitudes in excess of 30,000 feet.
Delta said
its diverted flight Tuesday was a Boeing 747 with 273 passengers as well as 17
crew on board, and that it was "working to reaccommodate these
customers."
Planes of
German airline Lufthansa wait on the airfield at Duesseldorf
International
airport, March 13, 2014, in Germany (AFP Photo/
Patrik Stollarz)
|
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