FAA: Flights may resume to and from Istanbul
WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration lifted its suspension of flights to and from Istanbul, after several hours of caution following the bombing at the airport in Turkey.
"The FAA has lifted the ground stop for flights to and from Istanbul's Ataturk Airport," the agency said in a statement late Tuesday.
When flights will actually touch down remains unclear. The Istanbul airport, the third busiest in Europe behind London and Paris, says the airport would be closed until at least Wednesday at 5 a.m.
The Italian airline Alitalia had earlier announced that the airport would be closed and all Tuesday evening flights had been canceled.
The State Department had updated its travel warning about Turkey on Monday, warning of "increased threats from terrorist groups throughout Turkey and to avoid travel to southeastern Turkey."
Delta Air Lines said it stopped flying to Istanbul in September and suspended its planned summer service in April. But Delta said it was dealing with partners Air France, KLM and Alitalia to offer travel waivers so that customers could alter their travel plans.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the three New York City-area airports of John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark, said it would increase the high-visibility patrols in collaboration with local and federal authorities.