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Several major airlines have suspended flights to Israel following the outbreak of conflict with Hamas.
Cathay Pacific, easyJet and Lufthansa were among airlines to suspend flights after warnings from air safety agencies that carriers should exercise caution when flying into Israeli airspace.
US airlines have also cancelled flights with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines warning on Sunday that disruption could last all week.
The EU Aviation Safety Agency issued a Conflict Zone Information Bulletin for Israel’s airspace and recommended airlines “ensure that a robust risk assessment is in place together with a high level of contingency planning for their operations”.
In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration said “operators are advised to exercise caution”.
However, Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel’s main hub, remained open and several major carriers were still operating flights on Monday.
British Airways said it would “continue to monitor the situation in Israel very closely” but would run flights with some adjusted departure times.
Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, was also operating flights into Tel Aviv on Monday, according to flight tracking data.
Just under a third of flights from Ben Gurion International Airport had been cancelled by late morning on Monday, according to data from Flightradar24.
The head of the organisation representing pilots at American Airlines said carriers should not fly into Israel. American has suspended flights into Tel Aviv, in line with other big US carriers.
“After careful consideration, I am directing all pilots to cease flight operations to Israel until we can be reasonably assured of the region’s safety and security,” Allied Pilots Association president Ed Sicher said on Sunday.
European airline shares fell on Monday as the price of oil rose, one of the industry’s biggest costs.
Shares of Wizz Air, easyJet and BA-owner IAG all fell 4 per cent by late morning in London. Brent crude, the benchmark oil price, rose 3 per cent to $87.20 a barrel.
European airlines typically hedge a portion of their future fuel requirements to protect them from short-term swings in the oil price, in contrast to most US airlines, which do not.
The rising cost of fuel has already weighed on airline shares this year and triggered a wave of profit warnings from US carriers.
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