Turkey refuses to let Israeli flight evacuate, refuel after emergency landing: reports

Turkish officials Sunday allegedly refused to let an Israeli flight evacuate or refuel after it made an emergency landing in Antalya because of a medical crisis onboard, Israeli media reported.

El Al Flt. LY5102 was flying directly from Warsaw, Poland, to Tel Aviv in Israel in the morning when the airline said the plane had to land at Turkey’s Antalya International airport after a passenger fell ill, the Jerusalem Post said.

“After consulting with the doctor who treated the passenger on the plane, it was decided that it should land urgently in order to evacuate the passenger to the hospital as soon as possible,” El Al said in a statement.

Although the flight crew initially received permission to de-board and refuel, Turkish officials then delayed the decision, claiming permits were required to fuel the plane, Israeli broadcaster KAN reported.

After waiting, the flight crew was informed that they would not be allowed to do either, forcing the plane to fly off to Greece’s Rhodes airport to refuel, according to Israel’s Army Radio.

Flt. LY5102 then took off from Antalya at 6:18 p.m. local time, arriving in Greece less than 40 minutes later, according to flight tracking site Flight Aware.

The status of the ill passenger remained unclear, and officials did not say if the passenger was allowed to get medical treatment while in Turkey.

Antalya International Airport officials did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

All direct flights between Turkey and Israel have been canceled since the start of the Israel-Hamas war after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.

Turkey has remained one of Israel’s biggest critics over the war, with its goverment announcing in May that all exports and imports from Israel would be halted after the Israel Defense Force’s advancement into Rafah.