Arkia flight IZ1071, which took off from Ben Gurion Airport this morning (Thursday) en route to Rhodes in Biyon, was forced to make a U-turn and return to land in Israel, a few minutes before landing at its destination - following a technical malfunction discovered during the flight.
According to Arkia, after takeoff, the aircraft crew identified a technical indication that required immediate inspection.
In light of this, an operational decision was made to return the aircraft to Ben Gurion Airport, in accordance with the strict safety procedures of the company and the Civil Aviation Authority.
A few minutes before the scheduled landing time on the Greek island, the plane turned around and made its way back to Israel.
The plane made a normal landing without any further unusual incidents - and the passengers were disembarked.
Arkia stated: "During flight IZ1071 from Ben Gurion to Rhodes, a technical fault was detected. The crew acted quickly and professionally, and the flight returned to a safe landing to verify the integrity of the aircraft."
Once the technical fault has been resolved, the flight is expected to take off back to its destination.
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