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Several major airlines have suspended flights to Israel following the outbreak of conflict with Hamas.
Cathay Pacific, Ryanair and Lufthansa were among the airlines to suspend flights after warnings from air safety agencies that carriers should exercise caution when flying into Israeli airspace.
US carriers American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines also cancelled flights following warnings that disruption could last at least all week.
United’s operations in Tel Aviv were suspended “until conditions allow them to resume”, according to a person familiar with the airline’s plans.
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.
Ben Gurion International was the second-most disrupted in the world on Monday, according to flight tracking site FlightAware. More than 100 flights into or out of the airport were cancelled, accounting for more than a third of its traffic.
The head of the organisation representing pilots at American Airlines said carriers should not fly into Israel.
“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.
Airline shares fell on both sides of the Atlantic on Monday as the price of oil, one of the industry’s biggest costs, rose.
United and Delta were both down 6 per cent by late morning in New York, while American was 5 per cent lower.
Shares of Wizz Air, easyJet and BA-owner IAG all fell 6 per cent by late afternoon in London. Brent crude, the benchmark oil price, rose 4 per cent to $87.80 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. Only Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines hedge fuel in the US.
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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