A commercial flight en route from Seychelles to Tel Aviv was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Monday evening due to a technical issue with the aircraft.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
The airline company, Air Seychelles, confirmed the situation in an official statement. Flight HM22, carrying a full load of Israeli passengers, experienced a technical problem that necessitated an emergency landing in Jeddah. Despite the unexpected turn of events, the plane landed safely.
The incident carries a unique significance due to the fact that Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have official diplomatic relations. A replacement plane was sent from the UAE to bring the Israelis back from Jeddah, marking the first official commercial flight from the kingdom to the Jewish state.
Video: Bear appears in plane in Dubai / Social media
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel has been actively monitoring the situation and providing updates to ensure the safety and well-being of the Israeli passengers.
"They treated us well and put us in a fancy hotel," one Israeli tourist told Israel Hayom. Another one recalled the technical malfunction that led to the unexpected diversion. "There was darkness, and we suddenly smelled something burning," he said. "We saw fire trucks arrive, and we ended up sitting there for 3 hours on the plane without internet, so we didn't know what happened."
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
