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US and European airlines halt Israel flights | |
(35 minutes later) | |
US and European airlines have suspended flights into Israel's Ben Gurion airport after a rocket landed one mile (1.6km) away. | |
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered three US carriers that fly to Israel - Delta, United and US Airways - to halt flights for 24 hours. | |
European carriers Lufthansa, KLM, and Air France have also cancelled flights to Tel Aviv. | |
The move comes amid heightened scrutiny over flights near conflict zones. | The move comes amid heightened scrutiny over flights near conflict zones. |
Israel's Transportation Ministry asked the airlines to reverse their decision, saying the airport was "safe for landings and departures". | |
"Ben Gurion Airport is safe and completely guarded and there is no reason whatsoever that American companies would stop their flights and hand terror a prize," it said in a statement. | |
Flight diverted | |
The FAA's prohibition only applies to US airlines. The agency has no authority over foreign airlines operating to or from the airport. | The FAA's prohibition only applies to US airlines. The agency has no authority over foreign airlines operating to or from the airport. |
However, Lufthansa - which includes Swiss, Germanwings and Austrian Airlines - said it had decided to suspend flights to Israel for two days. | However, Lufthansa - which includes Swiss, Germanwings and Austrian Airlines - said it had decided to suspend flights to Israel for two days. |
KLM and Air France also said they had suspended flights scheduled to depart on Tuesday. | |
However, Air France said a flight scheduled for Wednesday is still scheduled to depart. | |
Delta said a flight from New York City to Tel Aviv was diverted to Paris on Tuesday after Israeli police confirmed that a rocket landed approximately one mile (1.6km) from Ben Gurion airport. | Delta said a flight from New York City to Tel Aviv was diverted to Paris on Tuesday after Israeli police confirmed that a rocket landed approximately one mile (1.6km) from Ben Gurion airport. |
Both Delta and United said they had suspended operations in Israel for the near future - beyond the FAA's 24-hr period. | |
US Airways said it had not yet made a decision. | |
British Airways said in response to questions on Twitter: "We are closely monitoring the situation. Our flights are currently operating as scheduled." | |
The halt in service comes less than a week after Israel began a ground operation in Gaza, and as airlines around the world re-think their flight paths over conflict areas in the wake of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine. | The halt in service comes less than a week after Israel began a ground operation in Gaza, and as airlines around the world re-think their flight paths over conflict areas in the wake of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine. |