Diverted plane was reportedly refused refueling over politics

El Al said airport workers "refused to refuel the company's plane, even though it was a medical case."

Jul 1, 2024 - 23:30

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Diverted plane was reportedly refused refueling over politics

Whether a plane makes a scheduled or emergency landing, refueling is one of the steps that take place before it is cleared to take off again.

On June 30, a passenger on a flight from Warsaw to Tel Aviv on Israel's flagship carrier, El Al (ELALF) , had a medical emergency that resulted in the crew having to make an emergency landing in the Turkish city of Antalya. The passenger was evacuated off the plane and taken to the hospital for medical treatment, but according to the airline's representatives, airport workers initially "refused to refuel the company's plane" over the country's military actions in Gaza.

In a statement to local news outlet Times Of Israel, an El Al representative said, "local workers refused to refuel the company's plane, even though it was a medical case." Flight LY5102 departed Warsaw at 11:22 a.m. local time and was diverted two-and-a-half hours into the 1,558-mile route.

El Al says Turkish officials kept them waiting, refused permission to refuel

Local outlets further reported that the plane circled the nearby airspace as Turkish officials decided whether it would grant the Israeli carrier permission to land and refuel. Following the evacuation of the sick passenger, the aircrew waited for permission to refuel before ultimately flying off to do so at Greece's Rhodes International Airport Diagoras (RHO). The El Al plane took off from Antalya at 6:18 p.m. local time and arrived in Greece 40 minutes later. It landed at Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) later on Sunday night.

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Following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that left more than 1,200 Israelis dead and took 250 into the Gaza Strip as hostages, the Israeli government launched an extensive military campaign that has now entered into its tenth month and has been subject to international condemnation over its prolonged nature and high death toll. Countries such as Jordan, South Africa and Colombia have, as a result, cut their diplomatic relations with Israel entirely.

Turkish response: 'Fuel was to be provided, but the captain decided to leave of his own accord'

One of the strongest critics of the war in Gaza, Türkiye was among the first countries to recall its ambassador from Tel Aviv in November 2023 and formally announce an end to trading with Israel in May 2024.

"Fuel was to be provided to the plane due to humanitarian considerations, but as the relevant procedure was about to be completed, the captain decided to leave of his own accord," an anonymous Turkish official said in a statement to the Times Of Israel.

While Türkiye was once a popular holiday destination for Israeli tourists due to its location two hours away, no direct flights between the two countries have been running since October 2023.

After canceling all flights to the area due to security concerns in the fall of 2023, United Airlines UAL, Delta DAL , and Lufthansa (DLAKF) have slowly been restarting their Tel Aviv routes for the spring and summer. On its website, United says that it will "continue to monitor the situation in Tel Aviv and adjust the schedule as warranted."