News

Tel Aviv flights halted

EUROPEAN and US airlines have halted flights to Israel after a rocket landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines suspended service between the US and Israel indefinitely, while Germany's Lufthansa and Air France also suspended flights.

The move came days after a Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down over eastern Ukraine with 298 people on board.

Following the action by the US airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited US carriers from flying to Tel Aviv for 24 hours.

Germany and France's largest airlines Lufthansa and Air France suspended all flights to Tel Aviv over safety concerns amid the increasing violence.

Lufthansa said it was suspending all Tel Aviv flights for 36 hours, including those operated by subsidiaries Germanwings, Austrian Airlines and Swiss. The company said it made the decision as a precaution to protect the safety of its passengers and crews.

Air France said it was suspending flights until further notice for the same reason.

The security department continues to monitor local developments in Israel.

Palestinian militants have fired more than 2,000 rockets towards Israel. Several heading toward the area of the airport have been intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defence system.

The Israelis are fighting Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip in the third war in just over five years, and Israeli police confirmed that a rocket from Gaza had landed in an area near the airport.

Police spokeswomen Luba Samri said the rocket landing was the closest to the airport since renewed fighting began on July 8.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine on Thursday while flying at 33,000ft. Some experts have second-guessed the airline's decision to fly over an area where pro-Russian separatists are battling the Ukrainian army, but Malaysian officials have countered that the plane's path from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was approved by international regulators.

Aviation and legal experts said airlines are now taking risk assessment into their own hands, for the safety of passengers and to avoid claims of negligence.

Israel's Transportation Ministry called on the airlines to reverse their decision and said the airport was "safe for landings and departures".

Canada's largest airline also cancelled a flight to Israel and is monitoring the situation.

Air Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur said the flight this evening was cancelled and officials will continue to evaluate future flights. Transport Canada spokeswoman Ashley Kelahear said decisions to cancel flights are made by the airlines.

Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the international community must hold Hamas accountable for rejecting multiple cease-fire offers and continuing its attacks against Israeli civilians.