Israeli airline says Turkish airport staff refused to refuel its plane after it made an emergency landing

In a statement to Business Insider, an El Al spokesperson said that local workers in Turkey “refused to refuel the company’s plane, even though it was a medical case.”

The spokesperson said a passenger requiring medical treatment was evacuated.

The airline told BI that the plane ultimately took off for Rhodes in Greece and refueled there before flying on to Israel.

According to Israeli news outlet Mako, the plane was on the tarmac at the Turkish airport for about two hours.

A passenger on the flight, identified only as Avner, told Mako that passengers were informed that local airport workers would be refueling the plane, but “the ground crew was not cooperating.”

An unnamed Turkish diplomatic source told The Times of Israel that “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.”

Last year, Antalya was one of Israeli tourists’ most popular vacation destinations, according to Mako.

However, since the Hamas terror attacks on October 7 in Israel, and the subsequent invasion of Gaza, all direct flights between Israel and Turkey have been canceled.

In May, Turkey stopped all trade with Israel over the war in Gaza and sought to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan has also ratcheted up his criticism of Israel, calling it a “terrorist state” in November last year.

In response, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he wouldn’t be lectured by a leader who “bombs Kurdish villages.”