Hundreds of United Airlines passengers booked from San Francisco to Tel Aviv underwent a 13-hour “flight into the unknown” amid a Hamas attack in Israel.
Flight UA954 departed from the California city, but about halfway through its journey, it turned 180 degrees and headed back to San Francisco. The flight landed safely, according to flightradar24.
“The safety of our customers and crews is our highest priority. We are monitoring the situation closely and adjusting flight schedules as necessary,” United Airlines said, adding: “Following our two departures from [Tel Aviv] scheduled for today, future operations at TLV will be suspended until conditions will not allow their renewal.”
Ryanair flights from continental Europe to Tel Aviv also turned around in the air. The flight from Budapest was over Antalya in southern Turkey when the decision was taken to return to base, reports claimed.
Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority has announced that, as part of the ongoing security situation, no sports or recreational flights will be allowed into Israeli airspace until further notice. Flights from Berlin, Milan, Charleroi, and Baden-Baden were also turned back.
Lufthansa told AFP that one flight to Frankfurt would be maintained, but “all other Lufthansa flights to and from Tel Aviv have been canceled for this Saturday”. Wizz Air flights from London Gatwick and Luton to Tel Aviv have been canceled – along with the same airline’s flights from Iasi, Vienna, and Vilnius to Tel Aviv.
Image Source: MSN
