Post by quiltz on Jul 24, 2014 13:10:49 GMT
CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Wednesday, July 23, 2014 9:20AM EDT
Last Updated Wednesday, July 23, 2014 7:26PM EDT
As major airlines continue to cancel flights scheduled to travel to Tel Aviv this week, the ongoing violence between Israeli forces and Hamas militants is also prompting one entertainment company to suspend shows in the troubled region.
On Wednesday, promotion company Shuki Weiss announced on its website that a slate of performances by Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil has been postponed until 2015. The Cirque du Soleil show “Quidam” was scheduled to run at Tel Aviv’s Nokia Arena, from Aug. 6-21.
The promoters bringing the acrobatic show to Tel Aviv cited safety concerns as the reason for the postponement.
“Unfortunately it is impossible to secure the safety of the ensemble and the audience at this time,” Marek Lieberberg and Shuki Weiss said in a joint statement. “Hence we have no choice but to look forward to an alternative and peaceful period to return to Israel as soon as we can.”
Meanwhile, U.S. and Canadian air travel to the region continues to be impacted due to safety concerns.
Air Canada has cancelled another flight to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, as well as a return flight from Ben Gurion airport on Thursday.
Flight AC84, which was scheduled to leave Toronto’s Pearson International Airport Wednesday at 6:15 p.m. local time, has been cancelled, the airline said in a statement. The return flight, AC85, which was scheduled to leave Tel Aviv on Thursday is also cancelled.
“We will continue to evaluate the situation going forward, and provide updates as needed,” airline spokesperson Isabelle Arthur said in a statement.
The airline cancelled the same two flights on Tuesday following reports that a rocket exploded about a kilometre from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport.
The latest flight cancellations come shortly after the U.S. Federation Aviation Administration extended its ban on all U.S. airline flights into Tel Aviv for another 24 hours “due to the potentially hazardous situation created by the armed conflict in Israel and Gaza.”
The agency is working with Israeli officials and reviewing intelligence information to “determine whether potential risks to U.S. civil aviation are mitigated so the agency can resolve concerns as quickly as possible,” according to a statement.
Several European airlines have also cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, including Lufthansa and Air France.