U.S. bans Israel flights, Europe issues warning

[Karee 4,191]

(CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration has told U.S. airlines that they are prohibited from flying to or from Israel's Ben Gurion Airport for up to 24 hours.

"The notice was issued in response to a rocket strike which landed approximately one mile" from the airport Tuesday morning, the FAA said.

European officials issued a warning Tuesday. The European Aviation Safety Agency "strongly recommends airspace users to refrain from operating to and from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport," according to the advisory. Some European airlines, including Lufthansa and KLM, canceled Tel Aviv-bound flights early Tuesday.

The flight suspensions come amid ongoing conflict between Israel and militants in Gaza. The Israeli military said at least 41 rockets were fired from the Palestinian territory toward Israel on Tuesday.

Operations at the airport in Tel Aviv continued Tuesday after the FAA issued its order, according to CNN's Atika Shubert, who was reporting from Ben Gurion Airport. Shubert said she saw a rocket being intercepted near the airport. "This is the environment that the planes are flying in and out of," she said.

Aviation security consultant Jeff Price called the decision by airlines to halt flights to Tel Aviv's airport for the moment "a prudent measure" that was likely influenced by the shooting down last week of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine.

"The airline must protect their passengers and their asset (the airplane) from death, damage and destruction, so they aren't going to fly into a location that they believe to be unsafe," Price said.

"This is the same situation that airlines encounter during natural disasters like hurricanes, where the airlines move their aircraft out of harm's way until the storm has passed. This is a storm of a different kind, and I think because of MH17 people are more sensitive to their commercial flight flying over an area where military ordinance is being hurled around."

Delta Air Lines and American Airlines both suspended service to Ben Gurion Airport before the FAA notice was issued. The American Airlines flights in question -- between Philadelphia and Ben Gurion -- are operated by US Airways, said American spokesman Casey Norton.

United Airlines also has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv, the airline said.

The Israel Airport Authority told CNN that the U.S. companies made the decisions on their own, and it urged them to reconsider, saying the airport was safe. "There is no reason that American carriers should stop flying to Israel and thus give a prize to terror," it said.

Several European airlines also have decided to halt flights to Israel. The Lufthansa Group has suspended flights to Israel for the next 36 hours, including Lufthansa's Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines flights, according to a Lufthansa official.

Dutch flag carrier KLM has canceled a flight to Israel which was due to depart Tuesday evening. The company said it is still looking into whether future flights will also be canceled.

The airport is the premier gateway between Israel and the rest of the world.

"Perhaps no other airport in the world has been the focus of so many terror threats for so long. But Ben Gurion Airport has a remarkable safety record. It is one of the most secure airports in the world," said CNN anchor John Vause, who previously spent three years as a Jerusalem-based correspondent.

"Israel has invested a lot to keep the airport safe, and many within Israel will be extremely concerned if it is now within reach of Hamas rockets," Vause said. Vause was on Delta Air Lines Flight 468, which was en route Tuesday from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Tel Aviv when it was diverted to Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport.

It's very unusual for the FAA to prohibit U.S. carriers from flying to a particular airport, said Mary Schiavo, a former U.S. Department of Transportation inspector general, via e-mail.

"The FAA does not like to restrict flight operations," Schiavo said via e-mail. "In the past when the FAA has done it there have been diplomatic consequences."

The Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 tragedy last week likely affected the decision, she said. Aviation security expert Richard Bloom agreed that MH17 played a part in the decision to restrict flights.

"Another part of it is the actual war going between Hamas and Israel. Hamas has displayed some surprises -- how many missiles they have and how far they can go. That explains why a number of (airlines) are getting out," said Bloom, director of terrorism, intelligence and security studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

"It's extremely, extremely difficult to protect a commercial aircraft," he said.

Travel agents are scrambling to inform and rebook travelers.

"We are in touch with all our clients, and we're obviously helping to move them to another airline," said Iris Hami, owner of Gil Travel in Philadelphia.

Hami said her agency is working closely with Israel's El Al Airlines. El Al continued to operate its regular schedule Tuesday, including up to five flights a day from the U.S., according to the airline.

Hami said she's rebooking to an El Al flight a group of more than 100 travelers that was scheduled to fly US Airways to Israel Tuesday night.

The flight suspensions come a day after the U.S. State Department asked Americans to consider deferring nonessential travel to Israel and the West Bank.

Monday's travel warning reaffirmed existing guidance against any travel to Gaza, which the State Department said "is under the control of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization." The department urged U.S. citizens already in Gaza to depart immediately.

Other government are cautioning their citizens against some or all travel to the region.

The United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Monday issued an advisory against all travel to Gaza and noted areas of possible violence in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

In an alert issued Sunday, Canada advised its citizens to use a "high degree of caution" while traveling in Israel. The government advises against travel to Gaza and areas bordering Gaza, Syria and Egypt.

Last year, Israel received a record 3.5 million visitors, according to the country's Central Bureau of Statistics. Before the recent violence, the bureau reported a record 1.4 million visitors for the first half of 2014, but the escalating violence is likely to put a damper on the numbers.

Visitors to Israel should familiarize themselves with the nearest bomb shelters in case of attack and should avoid areas of Israel near Gaza because of the possibility of attacks from Gaza "with little or no warning," the U.S. State Department advisory says.

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/22/travel/israel-flights-suspended/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

[Dakine10 5,452]

24 hours seems kind of arbitrary. Hard to imagine how flying tomorrow will be any different than flying today.

[Operator 1,927]

24 hours seems kind of arbitrary. Hard to imagine how flying tomorrow will be any different than flying today.

Big John Kerry is in town to make em halt with all the ruckus. Tomorrow there will be peace throughout the land.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Big John Kerry is in town to make em halt with all the ruckus. Tomorrow there will be peace throughout the land.

I bet they are so scared.

[UncleBeer 244]

FAA Halts All U.S. Flights To Israel, Obama Admin Says It Had Nothing To Do With It…

...State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters she “would wholly disagree with that argument” that the moves are intended to put pressure on Netanyahu.

“We issue travel warnings because one of our top priorities is protecting U.S. citizens overseas. I would note that in 2012, the department also issued travel warnings for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza in March, August and December. So this is a step we have taken when we felt the situation on the ground warranted it. Obviously, that is a process that we go through that in no way is — is policy-related or politically related. It is just gets to how we can best protect American citizens,” Harf said.

“On the FAA, we to my knowledge were not involved in that decision-making. Obviously, we knew it was coming today. I was actually waiting for the announcement to come out before I came out to brief so I had more information. But the FAA makes these decisions when they feel it’s warranted, again for the safety of United States citizens. And they, in response to the recent attack at Ben Gurion Airport and the vicinity of Ben Gurion Airport, after consultation with U.S. operators, felt today that it was important to issue this notice, which is in effect for up to 24 hours and they will provide additional guidance to the — updated instructions to the aircraft operators no later than 24 hours from when it went into effect.”

Harf said it was “not true” that the White House was out of the loop on the FAA decision while the State Department had the head’s up.

“I was on many e-mail chains this morning about when the statement would actually come out that included my White House colleagues,” she said. “There’s not coordination — the FAA makes decisions on its own from a policy perspective. We all — we knew — you know, I knew a little bit before the briefing, as did the White House, that this was being announced publicly on the communications side. But from a policy perspective, this is a process driven entirely by the FAA.”

And don't forget folks: if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.