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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| For 2nd day, mystery security ‘activities’ cause delays at Ben Gurion Airport | |
| 2017-07-05 | |
A Defense Ministry decision to restrict Israel’s airspace Tuesday forced planes to wait longer than normal between takeoffs, causing a cascade of delays at Ben-Gurion Airport. The measure was put in place Monday night and again on Tuesday afternoon, and was expected to last until evening, the ministry said. "Due to routine scheduled activities by the Defense Ministry, during the afternoon and evening there will possibly be occasional limitations on movement in Israeli airspace," the ministry said in a statement. "The activities have been coordinated with all of the appropriate authorities." The ministry did not elaborate on the nature of the "routine scheduled activities." The announcement came as the airplane of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched down in Israel for a three-day visit. According to Channel 2 news, the restriction forced a larger gap between takeoffs. Some 13 flights were delayed or canceled at the airport as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. On Monday the ministry reportedly ordered the Israel Airports Authority to impose intermittent closures of the airspace above the airport, following what some Hebrew media described as a "security incident." As a result of the order, which was said to be in effect for three hours, a large number of flights were delayed and passengers were advised to check their departure times before arriving at the airport. No details of the reason behind the unusual measure were given. Channel 10 reported that an expected event that led to the closure order did not end up taking place. The IAA later denied that there was any closure of the airspace. | |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #1 Some 13 flights were delayed or canceled at the airport as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. May simply have responded with a shift to 100% luggage exam. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2017-07-05 11:29 |