Nicosia, May 11 (IANS) Over 160 aircraft flying to Israel's Tel Aviv city have been rerouted to Cyprus since last Thursday following contamination in an international airport's refuelling system, Xinhua reported Tuesday.

A spokesman with Hermes Airports, a company which operates Cyprus' two airports, told media Tuesday that over 160 aircraft are expected to make stopover at Larnaca and Paphos airports in Cyprus by midnight for refuelling since jet fuel at Ben Gurion airport was detected contaminated May 5.

Ben Gurion airport is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel.

Israeli and foreign airlines' flights had to be diverted to Cyprus or Jordan, as Israeli authorities expect the problem to be solved by Wednesday night.

Their destinations include European and American airports such as Munich, Zurich, Paris, Luton, New York and Philadelphia.

An initial investigation has found mold and bacteria in the jet fuel, but Israeli authorities were yet to know what led to the contamination.