The Transportation Ministry announced that the State of Israel's airspace is closed for takeoffs and landings until further notice. "The purpose of the closure is to prevent and reduce risk to passengers and aircraft. Passengers who were scheduled to depart today from Ben Gurion Airport are requested to stay home and not to come to the airport," officials stated. "Passengers will receive a media notification at least six hours before the airspace reopens and will be updated on the new time of their flights through airline websites and the Israel Airports Authority website. Passengers who are abroad and whose flights were canceled, did not depart, or landed at other airports are requested to follow media announcements and, once the airspace reopens, to check the airlines' websites for their new flight times."