Two Israelis were among the passengers onboard a Flydubai flight forced to make an emergency landing in Pakistan overnight Wednesday.
JNS reached out to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which responded with a statement that the flight had departed from Dubai en route to Sri Lanka when it was redirected to Karachi.
“The Situation Center and the Department for Israelis Abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were informed of the incident and acted, in cooperation with other parties, to ensure the safety of the Israelis. After a short time, the plane continued on its way with the Israelis on board,” the ministry said.
According to reports, the emergency landing occurred after one of the passengers fell ill and needed medical attention. The two Israelis contacted the Foreign Ministry while the plane was on the tarmac. The passengers were required to remain on the plane.
The Israeli government recommends citizens avoid traveling to the Muslim-majority country in South Asia and leave immediately if there, with the National Security Council giving Pakistan a level 4 “high threat” category.
“Given the presence and intense activity of terrorist and radical Islamist groups throughout Pakistan, combined with the hostility of the Pakistani public towards Israel, there is a concrete risk to the safety of Israelis visiting/staying in this country,” the National Security Council writes in its travel warning.
An El Al flight that diverted to Turkey on June 30 was refused refueling at the airport in apparent violation of international aviation laws.
El Al flight 5102 from Warsaw to Tel Aviv was diverted to Antalya around 3 p.m. after a passenger fell ill and required urgent medical attention.
The passenger was taken to a local hospital. For the next three hours, Turkish airport officials refused airline requests to refuel the flight so it could continue to Tel Aviv.
In the evening, the plane flew to the Greek island of Rhodes to refuel and continued on to Israel.
“If this doesn’t convince travelers not to fly with Turkish Airlines when they resume flights to Tel Aviv, I don’t what else will,” Mark Feldman, Jerusalem director of Diesenhaus Tours, told JNS. “I have nothing against the Turkish people but Turkish Airlines is owned by an antisemitic despot who should be shunned at all costs.”
Flights between Israel and Turkey have been suspended since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has again emerged as one of Israel’s most vociferous critics in the world.