Israel-bound Lufthansa flight, with MK on board, turns back after engine failure

A Lufthansa flight en route to Israel, whose passengers included a member of Knesset, had to turn back on Thursday because of engine failure.

The flight had left Munich and was making its way to Tel Aviv when one of its engines failed.

Zionist Union MK Ksenia Svetlova, who was on board the plane, said the engine began making loud noises soon after take-off.

“It was clear from the beginning that something wasn’t right. There were some weird noises coming from the engine,” she said.

She said there were many Israelis among the passengers.

People were frightened “and one woman started screaming,” she said.”

Svetlova said that when the plane landed safely back in Germany, the pilot emerged “looking shaken. He came out and said, ‘We’re all safe now.”

She said emergency services including firetrucks were waiting at the runway, but were not needed.