Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced he will be flying to Israel on El Al to demonstrate it’s safe to do so and in solidarity with the people of Israel.
“Ben Gurion is the best protected airport in the world and El Al flights have been regularly flying in and out of it safely,” said Bloomberg in a statement.
His statement came after the US Federation Aviation Administration's (FAA) decision barring US airlines from flying to Israel. “The notice was issued in response to a rocket strike which landed approximately one mile from Ben Gurion International Airport on the morning of July 22, 2014. The NOTAM applies only to U.S. operators, and has no authority over foreign airlines operating to or from the airport,” the FAA said in a statement.
As a result, all American carriers and several European ones suspended their flights to and from Israel on Tuesday,
“The flight restrictions are a mistake that hands Hamas an undeserved victory and should be lifted immediately. I strongly urge the FAA to reverse course and permit US airlines to fly to Israel,’’ Bloomberg said.
Thus far some 80 flights in total that were scheduled to take place between 6:00 p.m. Tuesday and 6:00 p.m. Wednesday have been canceled.
El Al, Israel’s flag carrier, has boosted service to several destinations in order to help stranded Israelis returning home.
The airliner announced that it would send a jumbo jet to service passengers on Flight 347 to Zurich instead of the usual Boeing 737 model. El Al has also sent larger planes to Brussels and Bucharest while adding flights to Cyprus and Greece.