WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted its ban on U.S. flights in and out of Israel, which the agency had imposed out of concern for the risk of planes being hit by Hamas rockets.
The decision was effective at 11:45 p.m. EDT Wednesday.
“Before making this decision, the FAA worked with its U.S. government counterparts to assess the security situation in Israel and carefully reviewed both significant new information and measures the government of Israel is taking to mitigate potential risks to civil aviation,” the FAA said. “The agency will continue to closely monitor the very fluid situation around Ben Gurion Airport and will take additional actions as necessary.”
The FAA instituted a 24-hour prohibition Tuesday in response to a rocket strike that landed about a mile from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. The directive, which was extended Wednesday, applied only to U.S. carriers.
The FAA has no authority over foreign airlines operating in Israel, although the European Aviation Safety Agency late Tuesday said it “strongly recommends” that airlines refrain from operating flights to and from Tel Aviv. Some European carriers, including Air France and Lufthansa, extended flight cancelations through Thursday.
The FAA’s flight ban was criticized by the Israeli government and by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who questioned whether President Barack Obama used a federal agency to impose an economic boycott on Israel.
Delta Air Lines, which diverted a jumbo jet away from Tel Aviv before Tuesday’s ban by the FAA, will not necessarily resume flights to Israel even if U.S. authorities declare the area safe, the airline’s CEO said before the FAA lifted the ban.
CEO Richard Anderson said Delta would of course obey FAA orders but would continue to make its own decisions about safety.
“We appreciate the advice and consent and the intelligence we get, but we have a duty and an obligation above and beyond that to independently make the right decisions for our employees and passengers,” Anderson said on a conference call with reporters. “Even if they lift” the prohibition on flying in and out of Ben Gurion Airport, “we still may not go in depending on what the facts and circumstances are.”
Anderson declined to discuss specifically how the airline would make the decision to resume the flights and spoke only in general terms. He said the airline decides whether flights are safe to operate “on an independent basis, so we will evaluate the information we have and we will make the judgment that our passengers and employees rely on us to make for them every day.”
The CEO of Middle East carrier Emirates said after the shoot-down in Ukraine of a Malaysia Airlines jet last week that global airlines need better risk assessment from international aviation authorities. Delta, however, seemed more inclined to go it alone.
“We have a broad and deep security network around the world,” Anderson said. “We have security directors that work for Delta in all the regions of the world, and we have a very sophisticated capability and methodology to manage these kinds of risks, whether it’s this or a volcano or a hurricane.”
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In response to the decision, an AIPAC spokesman said, “HAHHHH HAHH! We win again!”
I mean seriously, in your basic war zone (something Israel has created with its current policy on Gaza), is it so bad to take a freaking breath on flying big, slow airliners full of people into the area until you’re sure it’s secured?
Next up = Sen Cruz will accuse Delta of anti-Semitism in its “boycott” of Israel in the name of “safety”. And, by extension, will cause Sen Cruz to continue obstructing approvals of FAA appointments.
Who knew air safety tactics were a political weapon?
If the big, slow airliners are filled with tourists bringing hard currency to spend in your economy, then yes, it is very bad.
Here is the thing…there are 11 Jews in the Senate and I think 20ish in the House. But a Cuban-Canadian immigrant is the one who has an issue with the FAA putting a temporary ban on flying into a war zone?
And if an incoming American flight is attacked - whether by Hamas or an accidental hit by the IDF - I wonder how long it will take Teddyboy Cruz to crawl out from hiding underneath his desk, change his urine-stained panties and take responsibility for any deaths or injuries to Americans incurred? BTW, Mr. Cruz (R-Dumbfuckistan), why are you not going after that anti-Israel, Hamas/Terrorist supporting Delta Airlines for not wanting to fly their jets into the Israeli airport?