A bomb alert at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport sent passengers running for safety On Tuesday.<br /><br />The Gaza conflict had unexpectedly widened its reach after a rocket landed near Israel’s main airport.<br /><br />US and European airlines immediately suspended flights to Tel Aviv causing travel chaos for hundreds of passengers.<br /><br />The US Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) ordered Delta, United and US Airways to halt flights for 24 hours. Europe’s aviation regulator did the same. <br /><br />Lufthansa, KLM and Air France had already cancelled flights even before the regulator’s warning.<br /><br />British Airways said it was still considering its position but for the moment its flights were operating (Tuesday 23.00)<br /><br />One passenger said: “I came to fly and my flight was delayed, then it was cancelled. And then there was a bomb alarm. The whole airport rushed to the bomb shelters. It was terrifying.”<br /><br />Another said “ They just said the flight was cancelled – operational issues- they didn’t want to elaborate on that. Ad when I called them they said there was no other flight and I could just ask them to book me on El Al, which I’m trying to do.”<br /><br />With the cancellations bound to have an economic impact the Israeli premier has asked US Secretary of State John Kerry to help restore the flights.<br /><br />Israel has assured airlines the airport is safe for landings and departures saying that stopping air traffic was handing terrorism a prize.
