Turkish airport staff denies fuel to Israeli plane after emergency landing

Turkish airport staff refused to refuel an Israeli plane that made an emergency landing in Antalya to evacuate a passenger with a medical emergency on Sunday.

The El Al flight, which had taken off from Warsaw, Poland, was forced to make an unscheduled stop at Antalya International Airport. However, Turkish authorities did not permit the passengers to disembark.

In addition to the medical emergency, the plane required refueling. However, the request was denied by Turkish airport staff. Subsequently, the plane took off for Rhodes, Greece, to refuel before continuing its journey back to Israel.

Though the plane was initially allowed to land and refuel at Antalya Airport, Turkish authorities later maintained that a permit was required for refueling.

"The flight crew prepared for a renewed take-off to Tel Aviv, but local workers refused to refuel the plane, even though it was a medical case. The plane took off to Rhodes, where it will refuel before taking off to Israel," an El Al spokesperson stated.

It remains unclear whether the passenger with the medical emergency received the necessary medical assistance, as authorities did not provide further details.

Direct flight operations between Israel and Turkey ceased in November, 2023, amid the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip since October 7.

In response to Israel’s military offensive and the killing of thousands of innocent Palestinians in Gaza, Turkey suspended direct flights to Tel Aviv until at least October 2024.

Prior to the suspension, Israel was a major destination for Turkish Airlines, with more than 10 daily flights.