European airlines are following their American counterparts and cancelling flights to Israel.
The European Aviation Safety Agency issued a strong recommendation Wednesday to European airlines to avoid Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv until further notice. American and European carriers began stopping flights to Israel Tuesday after reports of a rocket near Ben Gurion International Airport.
Lufthansa announced on Tuesday that for the next 36 hours, the airline, along with its subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines, suspended flights to Tel Aviv “because of the uncertain situation at Ben Gurion Airport,” Lufthansa Group said.
“This decision was made based on the criteria that the safety of passengers and crews of all airlines has highest priority even though no sharply increased travel warnings from the responsible officials were issued,” Lufthansa Group said. “The situation will be continually followed in cooperation with the responsible officials. We will keep our customers, employees and the public informed as the situation evolves.”
Depending on the day, Lufthansa Group airlines operate seven to 10 scheduled flights daily to Tel Aviv from Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Zurich, Cologne and Vienna.
KLM also cancelled flights to Tel Aviv as of Tuesday “due to uncertain circumstances,” the airline said.
British airline EasyJet announced Wednesday that it suspended flights to Tel Aviv for 24 hours. EasyJet flies to and from Tel Aviv from the UK, Switzerland, Germany and Italy.