Multiple air carriers have suspended service to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, which is by far the largest airport in Israel and acts as the international hub for the entire country. The decisions have come in reaction to at least one rocket, presumably launched by Palestinian militants in Gaza, landing near the airport. A Delta flight from New York to Tel Aviv was diverted to Paris because of the incident.
Several major airlines suspend flights to and from Israel’s largest airport
Uriel Sinai/Getty Images
So far, according to early reports from the Israeli outlet Ha’aretz and others, the airlines that have suspended service include Delta, American Airlines, Korean Airlines, US Airways, and United.
Presumably, this is at least in part a reaction to Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, which on Thursday was shot down over eastern Ukraine, and concerns about the safety of flying over conflict zones.
As Ha’aretz journalist Chemi Shalev explains, this has implications beyond just interrupting travel plans, given Israelis’ sensitivities to how they and the conflict are perceived abroad:
Decision of American airlines to suspend flights hurts tourism and is psychological blow for Israel, deepening peoples' sense of isolation
— Chemi Shalev (@ChemiShalev) July 22, 2014 See More:
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