Major airlines cancel Israel flights

Major United States, European and Canadian airlines have cancelled flights to and from Israel after a rocket fired from Gaza struck near its main international airport in Tel Aviv. The cancellations highlighted worldwide fears of a rocket hitting a passenger jet in the wake of last week’s downing of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 over rebel-held eastern Ukraine with nearly 300 on board. That incident underscored the vulnerability of commercial aircraft to surface-toair missiles, even at cruising altitudes in excess of 30,000 feet (9140 metres). In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned US airlines from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport for at least 24 hours, citing the ongoing crisis in Gaza. Air France, Air Canada and Lufthansa followed suit while British Airways and its lowcost rival, EasyJet, maintained their flights.