Hundreds of Israelis stranded abroad as flights delayed
Close to 70,000 airline passengers expected to pass through Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday
Three airline flights from Italy to Israel, as well as another flight from the Greek island of Crete, were delayed Saturday for technical reasons, leaving hundreds of Israelis stranded abroad on Sunday.
An El Al Israel Airlines flight from Rome which was scheduled to arrive at Ben Gurion Airport at 6:00 a.m. Sunday will instead arrive at 8:00 p.m., according to airport officials. Another El Al flight from Milan to Israel was delayed after a bird caused damage to the plane’s wing. In Verona, a Small Planet Airlines flight to Tel Aviv was delayed as well, Army Radio reported.
Dozens of Israeli tourists were left stranded in Crete after their flight to Israel was delayed Saturday, the Ynet news site reported. So far, no replacement flight from the Greek island has been scheduled, according to airline passengers at the Crete airport.
The days following the Jewish holiday of Passover, which ended Friday, are typically among the busiest of the year at Ben Gurion Airport. As many as 70,000 people are expected to pass through the airport on Sunday, most of them Israeli travelers returning from vacation.