In a concerning incident, Turkish officials reportedly turned down an Israeli flight's request for evacuation and refueling after it made an emergency landing in Antalya due to a medical crisis onboard. Israeli media outlets revealed that El Al Flt. LY5102, which was en route from Warsaw, Poland to Tel Aviv, Israel, had to divert its course and land at Turkey's Antalya International airport after a passenger fell seriously ill.

According to the airline, after consulting with the doctor onboard, they made the urgent decision to land in order to evacuate the passenger to the hospital as quickly as possible. Initially, the flight crew received permission to de-board and refuel the aircraft. However, Turkish officials subsequently delayed the decision, citing the need for permits to refuel the plane, as reported by Israeli broadcaster KAN.

Significantly, the flight crew was informed later that they would not be allowed to both refuel and evacuate the passenger, leading them to depart for Greece's Rhodes airport to refuel. Flight tracking site Flight Aware confirmed that Flt. LY5102 took off from Antalya at 6:18 p.m. local time, touching down in Greece within 40 minutes.

The status of the ill passenger remains unclear, with no information available at the moment regarding whether they received medical treatment while still in Turkey. The Jerusalem Post reached out to Antalya International Airport officials for comment, but there has been no immediate response.

It is worth noting that all direct flights between Turkey and Isr