German airline Lufthansa on Wednesday, September 12, cancelled 21 flights to North America and one to Israel in the wake of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. The move was expected to affect some 4,000 passengers, Lufthansa said in a statement.
The corresponding return flights from the US, Canada and Tel Aviv were also cancelled, it added. Lufthansa said it could not yet predict whether further flights to the region concerned would also be affected.
Air France also cancelled all flights to the United States and Israel until at least 7:00 p.m. (1700GMT) in the wake of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. "The situation after 7:00 p.m. will depend on whether airports in North America and Israel reopen to air traffic," the company said.
The US Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday cancelled all air traffic to the United States until at least 1600 GMT Wednesday following the attacks in which four commercial flights were hijacked. Two of the planes crashed into the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center and a third ploughed into the Pentagon in Washington. The fourth airplane crashed in a field near Pittsburgh.
Israel on Tuesday also banned all foreign airlines from landing at its airports. Canada for its part restricted air traffic to flights being diverted from the United States because of the attacks. ― (AFP, Frankfurt, Paris)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
