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Turkish airport employees
refuse to refuel:
El Al plane has to divert to
Rhodes

Richard Krauss

30. Juni 2024

Refusal to refuel
in Antalya causes
diplomatic tensions

On June 30, 2024, an incident occurred at Antalya Airport in which Turkish airport staff refused to refuel an El Al aircraft after an emergency landing. The emergency landing was made due to a medical emergency on board, and the aircraft eventually had to continue to Rhodes, Greece, to refuel before returning to Tel Aviv.


El Al has issued an official statement on the incident. The airline stressed that the Turkish staff's refusal to refuel the aircraft was a significant inconvenience and that it was forced to take alternative measures to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers.


The Israeli Foreign Ministry also expressed concern about the incident. It clarified that such measures are unacceptable in an international airport context and that it will investigate the incident through diplomatic channels to avoid similar problems in the future.


Tensions between Israel and Turkey have continued to escalate since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October 2023. Turkey has openly shown its support for Hamas, which has led to diplomatic and economic friction between the two countries.


Sources: El AL, Times of Israel, YNetNews,

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