Israel opens alternate airport after wave of flight cancellations

One day after many foreign airlines canceled flights to and from Israel, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz announced from Ben-Gurion International Airport on Wednesday that Israel has opened the Ovda Airport near Eilat to all international carriers. He also said that Ben-Gurion remains open and indicated that 30 flights that would land there on Wednesday.

Credit: Reuters, Moshe Ben-Simhon

After rocket shrapnel fell in the Tel Aviv suburb of Yehud, near Ben-Gurion, on Tuesday morning, about 20 foreign airlines announced a suspension of all flights to and from Israel. Passengers at Ben-Gurion had to turn around and go home, frustrated as the number of seats on alternative flights quickly dwindled.

Before Tuesday, Korean Airlines had been the only international carrier to cancel its flights to Israel due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. But the list is much longer now, and includes U.S. carriers United Airlines, U.S. Airways and Delta Airlines, as well as the Lufthansa alliance, Air France and KLM. Turkish Airlines also canceled, as well as Jordanian Air, Wizz Air and Spanish Iberia.

U.S. Airways planned to resume flights to and from Israel on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to help restore U.S. commercial flights to and from Israel, an Israeli official said.

Travelers whose flights have been canceled, meanwhile, have been advised to contact their airlines to either book for a later date or find an alternative flight.

U.S. carriers were the first to announce the suspension of service following the Federal Aviation Administration announcement of a travel advisory effective for 24 hours. Later on Tuesday, the European Aviation Safety Agency also said it "strongly recommends" airlines to avoid flying to Ben-Gurion. Unlike the U.S. advisory, however, the EASA's message was not time-limited.

The warnings came after rocket shrapnel caused significant damage to a home in Yehud, close to Ben-Gurion. Terrorists in Gaza also fired a rocket barrage toward the area on Tuesday evening. Carriers rushed to get their aircraft out of Ben-Gurion, fearing damage from rockets. A U.S. Airways flight took off empty Tuesday afternoon after taxiing down the runway. A Delta flight, which was already on its way to Israel with 273 passengers, received orders from the company to land in Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

Still, Israeli skies remain open, and several carriers have maintained flights to and from Ben-Gurion, including British Airways, Thai Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Ukraine International Airlines.

Two homes in Yehud were damaged by rocket shrapnel. One house suffered a direct hit on a storage annex, sustaining heavy damage. Fortunately, the house was empty at the time.

Rescue crews and police rushed to the scene, including police sappers and Homefront Command officers.

Dan District Commander Effy Mishov said, "Fortunately, there were no injuries."

Mazi Meir, who owns one of the houses that was struck by shrapnel, was at work at the time and her family was not at home. Upon seeing the damage, Meir began to feel unwell and contacted a hospital. Her husband, Aryeh Meir, could not believe that all the belongings and personal effects he and his family had collected over the years had been destroyed by one rocket.

"The damage is immeasurable," he said. "You can't even begin to estimate it."

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