FAA Extends Travel Ban to Israel for Another 24 Hours - East Idaho News
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FAA Extends Travel Ban to Israel for Another 24 Hours

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GETTY 72314 Airplane?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1406134783363iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Aviation Administration announced  Wednesday that it has not lifted its ban against travel to or from Tel Aviv’s airport and will prohibit air travel to Israel for an additional 24 hours.

“The agency is working closely with the Government of Israel to review the significant new information they have provided and determine whether potential risks to U.S. civil aviation are mitigated so the agency can resolve concerns as quickly as possible,” the FAA said in a statement.

This comes a day after the agency barred all American air carriers from flying to or from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv following a rocket attack within a mile of the airport.

The order was issued at 12:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, with the FAA saying it would hold for up to 24 hours until an update on Wednesday.

Dozens of flights and hundreds of passengers were affected.

The list of airlines that chose to follow the FAA’s guidelines extended outside of the U.S., with Air Canada, Lufthansa, German Wings and Air France canceling their scheduled flights in addition to US Airways, Delta and United.

British Airways and Russian carrier Rossiya continued their flights to Ben Gurion, as did Israel’s commercial airline El Al, whose planes have their own missile detection systems.

El Al confirmed Wednesday afternoon that it has added routes to and from the U.S. in order to keep up with demand.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg flew into Tel Aviv on an El Al flight Wednesday morning as a show of support for Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the ban will be seen as a victory by Hamas.


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