U.S. air carriers Delta Air Lines, American Airlines Group and United Airlines on Tuesday (July 22) halted flights to Israel under directions from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to ensure passenger safety as turmoil in the region has intensified.
A siren signaling rocket fire prompted sounded at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport, prompting passengers to evacuate to the airport's bomb shelter.
"I came to fly, and my flight is delayed, and then it was canceled. And then there was a bomb alarm. The whole airport rushed into the bomb shelters. And it was terrifying," a passenger, Jeff Tizar, said.
The U.S. moves were swiftly followed by flight stoppages from European carriers, including Germany's Lufthansa, Air-France and Dutch airline KLM. Air Berlin, Germany's second-largest carrier, said it halted its flights through Wednesday (July 23), citing the situation on the ground in Tel Aviv.
