European airlines suspend flights to Israel

More airlines have joined the suspension of flights in and out Israel as fear of missile launches rise.

A number of US carriers have already suspended their flights to Israel, but now some European airlines have followed suit after a warning from the European Aviation Safety Agency EASA, said it “strongly recommends” that airlines should avoid flights to and from Tel Aviv.

Air Canada, Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, easyJet, Germanwings, KLM, Lufthansa and Swiss have all cancelled flights to Israel for two days.

British Airways has said that is, ‘closely monitoring the situation’. Their flights are currently operating as scheduled.

Concern has mounted about the safety of aircraft flying over war zones since the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, which killed all 298 people on board. On Tuesday Delta Airlines diverted a flight with 273 passengers and seventeen crew members, after reports of a ‘rocket or associated debris near the airport in Tel Aviv.’

Amongst the victims of flight MH17, it is reported that there were at least 6, but up to 100 HIV/AIDS experts who were on their way to the 20th International AIDS conference in Melbourne, Australia.

A candlelight vigil was held for the victims of MH17 and HIV/AIDS in Melbourne in Federation Square on the 22nd July 2014.

The Foreign Office in the UK has issued a strong warning saying, ‘The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to Gaza. The British Information and Services Office in Gaza is closed until further notice. The FCO can no longer offer any consular assistance in Gaza. Rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel and Israeli air strikes on Gaza continue.’