FAA Extends Ban On Flights To Tel Aviv For Another 24 Hours

The Federal Aviation Administration has extended its ban on

American flights to and from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel
Aviv, Israel.

As we reported, the agency first issued a ban on Tuesday, after a rocket landed about a mile from the airport. In a statement, today, the FAA said:

"The
agency is working closely with the Government of Israel to review the
significant new information they have provided and determine whether
potential risks to U.S. civil aviation are mitigated so the agency can
resolve concerns as quickly as possible."

The ban applies only to U.S. operators, so airlines like Israel's El Al can continue flying to the region.

To that end, it's worth noting that former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg flew to Israel today to protest the ban.

"This
evening I will be flying on El Al to Tel Aviv to show solidarity with
the Israeli people and to demonstrate that it is safe to fly in and out
of Israel," Bloomberg said in a statement before the flight, according to CNN. "Ben Gurion is the best protected airport in the world and El Al flights have been regularly flying in and out of it safely."

He went on to call the restrictions "a mistake" that hand "Hamas an undeserved victory."

Many international airlines followed the Americans' lead yesterday. We'll update this post if that's the case today.