US, European airlines suspend flights to Israel

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered U.S. airlines to stop flying to or from Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport for at least 24 hours, and the European Aviation Safety Agency issued a warning to its airlines to stop its flights.

The action came just days after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot out of the sky over eastern Ukraine, where government troops have been battling Russian-backed separatists.

The flight suspensions to Israel were the latest development in the 15-day-old conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza, with neither side showing any sign of backing down. At least 41 rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel on Tuesday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The FAA ordered Delta Air Lines, US Airways and United Airlines to suspend their flights to Tel Aviv. "The notice was issued in response to a rocket strike which landed approximately one mile" from the airport Tuesday morning, the FAA said.

"...The FAA will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation. Updated instructions will be provided to U.S. airlines as soon as conditions permit, but no later than 24 hours" from when the suspension was ordered, CNN reports.

A number of European airlines as well as Turkish Airlines suspended flights after an advisory issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

EASA "strongly recommends airspace users to refrain from operating to and from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport," according to the advisory.

As of Tuesday evening, the Israel Airport Authority was showing a number of flight cancellations, but British Airways and a handful of smaller airlines still appeared to be operating flights.

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.

The Israel Airport Authority said 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.

But 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 of the Malaysia Airlines jetliner 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, the parent company of US Airways, both suspended service to Ben Gurion Airport before the FAA notice was issued.

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 that was due to depart Tuesday evening. The company said it is still looking into whether future flights will be canceled. Details also at