Airlines suspend flights to Israel

American and European airlines have decided to suspend flights into Tel Aviv after a a rocket fell about a mile away from Ben Gurion International Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration has told all U.S. airlines that flights to Israel’s Tel Aviv airport are prohibited for 24 hours after the incident.

The three United States carriers with scheduled service to Israel — Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and US Airways — quickly canceled their flights, and were later joined by Air Canada and a number of Western European airlines, including Air France, Lufthansa and KLM. Turkish Airlines and the Russian carrier Aeroflot also suspended flights.

British Airways said it “continues to operate as normal” for the moment, though a spokeswoman said the airline would monitor the situation closely. And El Al, the Israeli national carrier, kept flying as usual.

The disruption of air travel at the height of the summer tourism season highlighted the growing impact of the conflict in the Gaza Strip on the Israeli economy.

The flight suspensions come in the wake of the downing of a Malaysian Airlines flight over Ukraine, which has triggered an international investigation and speculation over who was behind the tragedy.