'U.K. airline BMI must explain its omission of Israel from m

[Ognir]

The omission of Israel from the electronic in-flight maps of British airline BMI continues to rile officials in Jerusalem.

The Transportation Ministry on Tuesday sent a letter to the airline's chief executive officer in Britain demanding an explanation as to why the only reference to Israel on the map is the Arabic word for Haifa.

"Israeli travelers complained that erasing Israel hurts their sensitivities and enrages them," the ministry's director-general, Gideon Siterman, wrote in the letter. The ministry said it is awaiting a response from the airline.
   
BMI announced that beginning Tuesday it would operate its Tel Aviv-London route with a new aircraft in which electronic maps will display the names and locations of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

BMI apologized last week for deleting Israel from an electronic map that appears on its flights.

Army Radio reported earlier that BMI's London-Tel Aviv flights, Israel and most of its cities weren't marked in order to avoid angering Muslim passengers. Only Haifa was identified - by its Arab name, Khefa.

In its apology, BMI said the plane bearing the map was acquired from a now-defunct airline that flew to several Arab countries in the Middle East, and the map highlighted locations including the Muslim holy city of Mecca.


http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1083197.html