July 22, 2014 - Several major U.S. airlines have
reported that they have suspending flights to
Israel as a result of a rocket landing in the
city of Yehud near Ben-Gurion International
Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel. The airport is
Isreal's main international airport.
The decision came after Federal Aviation
Authority (FAA) has prohibited U.S. carriers
flying to or from Israel's Ben Gurion
International Airport.
This move comes after the shoot down of a
Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 777, Flight 17, by a
surface-to-air missile in East Ukraine by
Pro-Russian Separatists which resulted in the
death of 298 passengers and flight crew.
At 12:15 PM today the FAA issued a Notice to
Airmen (NOTAM) informing U.S. airlines that they
are prohibited from flying to or from Israel's
Ben Gurion International Airport for a period of
up to 24 hours.
The notice was issued in response to a rocket
strike which landed approximately one mile from
Ben Gurion International Airport on the morning
of July 22, 2014. The NOTAM applies only to U.S.
operators, and has no authority over foreign
airlines operating to or from the airport.
The FAA immediately notified U.S. carriers when
the agency learned of the rocket strike and
informed them that the agency was finalizing a
NOTAM. A Delta Boeing 747, Flight 468, out of
New York with 273 passengers and a crew of 17
was enroute to Tel Aviv today when the pilots
learned of the FAA restriction. Flight 468 was
over the Mediterranean Sea when it was rerouted
to Paris.
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