El Al Flight From US to Israel Forced to Land in Canada, Passengers Stranded For Shabbos
An El Al flight from the US to Israel was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Canada Friday.
Flight LY26 from Newark, New Jersey to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport was forced to land at Halifax Airport Friday morning, after a smoke alarm went off during the flight.
The alarm was sounded an hour-and-a-half into the flight, while the plane was over the Atlantic Ocean.
Passengers and crew members also reported smelling smoke in the plane, leading the captain to alter the plane’s course, heading to the closest available airport.
The plane landed safely in Halifax, with no injuries reported among either the crew or the passengers.
The cause of the smoke has yet to be determined, and the plane will be kept grounded in Halifax until technicians can verify that the aircraft is ready to fly again.
The passengers will remain in Halifax for the time being, and will be provided with hotel rooms until the flight is rescheduled.
“An El Al flight which took off from Newark to Tel Aviv was forced to land in Halifax, Canada after smoke was smelled in the area of the rear kitchen on the plane,” El Al said in a statement.
“All of the passengers are being taken care of by company representatives. We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers.”
