An El Al Israel Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft was forced to perform an emergency landing at Antalya Airport (AYT) in Turkey due to a medical incident involving one of the passengers onboard.
The incident occurred on June 30, 2024, when the EL AL Boeing 737-800, registered 4X-EKA, was operating scheduled passenger flight LY5102 between Warsaw (WAW) and Tel Aviv (TEL). According to flight history found on Flightradar24.com, the plane took off from Warsaw Chopin Airport at around 8:35 a.m. (UTC) and was supposed to land at Ben Gurion Airport approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes after departure.
Mid-flight, as the aircraft soared over the Mediterranean Sea, the flight crew declared a medical emergency. It turned out that one of the passengers required an immediate medical assistance. Responding swiftly to the advice of a doctor onboard, the flight crew made a decisive move to divert to the nearest available airport, Antalya (AYT), to seek urgent medical help.
After landing safely in Antalya, a new challenge emerged. Due to diversion, the Boeing 737 was low on fuel. However, according to a report from Airlive.net, airport staff refused to refuel the plane without providing an official reason. This refusal forced the flight crew to seek alternatives.
In a bid to resolve the situation, El Al aircraft was cleared to fly to Rhodes (RHO), the closest airport outside Turkey.
The flight history reveals that 4X-EKA touched down in Rhodes at 5:30 p.m. (UTC) for refueling.
Once refueled, the plane continued its journey, finally reaching Tel Aviv.