Many airlines canceled their flights through Israel after the government declared war

CNN
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Many airlines canceled their flights to and from Tel Aviv, home to Israel’s largest international airport, after that Israel officially declared war on Hamas.

American Airlines said in a statement to CNN that it will suspend its flights until Friday as it is closely monitoring the situation on the ground.

These cancellations follow a “do not fly” order issued by the president of the Allied Pilots Association, the union that represents 15,000 US airline pilots.

in Note on SundayEd Sicher said that since Israel has declared that it is now at war, “it is neither wise nor appropriate to intentionally put our flight crews and passengers at risk by continuing flights into a war zone.”

He warned pilots not to refuse any mission in Israel, and added that the Federal Aviation Administration had issued a notice to air operators urging them to be “extremely cautious.”

Delta Air Lines also canceled all flights to and from Tel Aviv for the rest of the month, but said in a statement that it would “work with the US government as needed to help repatriate US citizens who wish to return home.” ”

The US Embassy in Israel said in a security update on Monday that it continues to “closely monitor the dynamic security situation” in the region. Although Ben Gurion International Airport is open, “some flights have been reduced or suspended. American airlines temporarily suspended their flights to Israel,” according to the embassy.

Many international airlines have also suspended travel across the country. Cathay Pacific Airlines in Hong Kong canceled its flight on Tuesday to and from Tel Aviv. Air Canada says it has suspended all flights for the time being, as it monitors dynamic security conditions. The Irish company Ryanair announced on Monday that it had canceled its flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 11, due to operational restrictions. Air India and Lufthansa announced the cancellation of their flights until October 14, and Norwegian Air said it was canceling its flights until October 15.

Korean Air canceled one of its three regular weekly flights to Tel Aviv on Monday, and is scheduled to hold another meeting on Monday to discuss future flights between the two countries. However, the airline said it plans to fly the 218-seat plane from Tel Aviv to Incheon on Tuesday in order to repatriate Korean citizens.

Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport is less than 40 miles from Gaza, just outside Tel Aviv, where CNN crews heard the near-constant rocket fire on Monday. CNN correspondents in Jerusalem also described eerily quiet places usually crowded with tourists. The conflict, which has now entered its third day and has killed more than a thousand people, is escalating with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant. He ordered a “total siege” Gaza on Monday.

This article has been updated with additional information