[livius]

In all fairness to the airlines, I think there are valid concerns with flying into Tel Aviv, particularly since Hamas has boasted that one of its goals is to take down a passenger liner entering or leaving that airport. I believe El Al flights have anti-missile technology, whereas ours do not, generally.

I notice that a congressman has just introduced a bill to get US airlines to add some kind of anti-missile systems. I don’t know if that means your jolly Delta pilot is going to have to get into shooting them down...but a lot of them are exmilitary, so they could probably handle that!

[Tzfat]

Hamas does not have SAMs and no one has even suggested it. Ben Gurion is 50 miles from Gaza so even MANPADS are not a risk.

British Airways Defies Advisory, Keeps Tel Aviv Service

“Our flights are operating normally. Safety is our top priority. We would not operate flights unless it was safe to do so. We are monitoring the situation closely,” said British Airways.

Israel criticises airlines as US flight ban extended

Giora Romm, director-general of the Israeli civil aviation authority, told the Financial Times he was “very disappointed” with the US aviation regulator’s original decision on Tuesday. Speaking before the FAA’s extension, he said it was safe to fly in and out of Ben Gurion, highlighting how Israel had military defences – its Iron Dome system – to protect the country from rocket attacks.

[matthew fuller]

When Southwest first started up, they were very heavy into military pilots. They probably still are.