Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
An Israeli plane made an emergency landing in Israel on Tuesday amid fears that one of its tires was damaged, causing authorities to turn the flight around and order it back to the ground.
The drama started shortly after routine flight 2521 to Prague by El Al’s budget carrier Up! took off from runway 24 on a Boeing 737 aircraft carrying 181 passengers and crew.
With the plane already in the air, officials found peeled pieces of tire on the tarmac and decided to recall the aircraft to Ben Gurion Airport in order to repair the damage.
Airport officials took no chances and declared the incident an emergency situation, marshaling fire-fighting crews, Magen David Adom ambulances, and motorcycle paramedics alongside the runway as the plane returned.
Other flights to Israel’s main international hub were put on hold as the damaged plane circled overhead before coming in for a safe landing.
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Magen David Adom ambulances at Ben Gurion airport as an El Al plane made an emergency landing, April 21, 2015. (photo credit: MDA spokesperson/MDA operations)
“In order to repair the tire it was decided to return the plane to Ben Gurion. El Al sees flight safety as an utmost priority and does not compromise on the matter,” the company said in a statement.
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