TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Air carriers in the United States and Europe have halted flights to Tel Aviv, Israel, following turmoil between Israel and Palestine. U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines, American Airlines Group and United Airlines were the first to announce cancellations, followed by flight stoppages by European carriers, including Germany's Lufthansa and Air France.
Air Berlin, Germany's second-largest carrier, has also said that it halted its flights through Wednesday. Throughout the day, several airlines rerouted or turned back flights already headed to Tel Aviv. The flight suspensions grasped the attention of global aviation community, which is still grappling with MH17 incident over Ukraine with 298 aboard.
"The carriers are making the right call," said Robert Mann, an airline consultant in Port Washington, New York. "They are ultimately legally responsible for their operations and thus, they have to be at least as cautious and in many cases more cautious than any guideline that they are given."
Responding the flight suspension, Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have called for US airlines to resume flights to Israel. "There is no need for US carriers to suspend flights and reward terrorism," said a statement from Israel's Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz.
RINDU P. HESTYA | REUTERS