An Israir flight to Tel Aviv was canceled after a British ground service vehicle struck the aircraft at a London airport, according to N12. Israeli authorities suspect the collision was intentional, marking the third such incident involving a British ground vehicle hitting the company's plane in less than a year.
Israeli authorities now suspect that a British ground service vehicle intentionally struck an Israir aircraft at a London airport on Friday, according to N12, marking a significant escalation in the assessment of the incident. The collision forced the cancellation of the flight to Tel Aviv and stranded dozens of passengers, including Shabbat-observant travelers who remained in London until Sunday.
On Friday, July 17, at 15:44 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that a ground tug vehicle had struck the plane, leading to the cancellation and hundreds of passengers stranded. Subsequent reports detailed that passengers were stuck on the aircraft without air conditioning for hours before being evacuated to hotels, and that Shabbat-observant travelers would not return until Sunday. The airline later stated that this was the third such incident at the same airport and that no investigation had been conducted into any of the cases.
The Zioneer reported on Friday that the airline characterized the incident as the third of its kind at the airport, with no investigation from airport authorities. The new suspicion of intentional damage by Israeli authorities introduces a potential nationalist motive, though no official confirmation has been provided.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation. British authorities have not commented on the Israeli suspicion, and the airline's response to the new assessment has not been reported.
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