An El Al flight that took off from Tel Aviv for Miami had to return to Israel after a technical malfunction was discovered during the flight.
According to a statement from the airline, flight LY017 had to turn around several hours after takeoff due to an unexpected technical malfunction. If the plane continues directly to Tel Aviv and does not land on the way, passengers are expected to be on the aircraft for more than ten hours straight.
El Al stated that upon their return to Israel, passengers will be offered two options, according to their preference: an alternative flight to Miami or a refund. "We apologize to passengers for the inconvenience and emphasize that El Al places the safety and security of its passengers and crew at the top of its priorities," the airline said.
The incident comes one day after an Israir charter flight had to return to Ben Gurion Airport due to a malfunction. In that case, the plane was only in the air for 40 minutes before having to turn around.