El Al flight from Newark makes emergency landing after passengers smell smoke

An El Al flight from Newark to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency landing in Canada after passengers said they smelled smoke in the cabin.

According to Channel 12 news, it was decided that the plane required a full technical inspection, leaving passengers stranded in Halifax as the airline does not fly during Shabbat or Jewish holidays.

Dorit Adi, a passenger on the plane, told the Kan public broadcaster of the moments before the plane landed.

“Suddenly I saw the flight attendants running and there was a smell of smoke. I saw on the screen that the plane was doing a u-turn and it was terribly frightening. We were told that there was smoke in the back of the plane. It is terrifying, you don’t know what will happen,” Adi said.

“We were told to put our shoes on and fasten our safety belts. The big fear was of landing, that something would happen. In the end we landed safely and then we were on the plane for another three hours,” she said. “We are now at the Halifax airport where we have been waiting for two hours for a bus to take us to the hotel. The staff is in contact with us all the time and they are trying to help.”

The airline said that the smoke originated from a galley at the rear of the aircraft and apologized for any inconvenience to passengers.

“El Al’s flight from New York (Newark) to Tel Aviv had to land in Halifax, Canada, due to the smell of smoke from the back kitchen area of ​​the plane,” the airline said in a statement. “All passengers are being taken care of by company representatives and we apologize for any inconvenience caused to our customers.”