Turkish Plane Carrying 20 Israelis Lands in Iran for Ill Passenger

By JTA March 4, 2014

A Turkish Airlines flight carrying 20 Israeli passengers made an emergency landing in Tehran.

The flight Tuesday from Istanbul to Mumbai landed in the Iranian capital so a passenger could receive emergency medical treatment. After sitting on the runway for two hours, the plane departed without incident and continued to its destination.

The passengers did not leave the plane, and an Israeli passenger told Israeli Channel 10 that Iranian workers who boarded the plane did not check passengers’ passports.

“When we landed it may have looked like a godforsaken place and the surrounding facilities reminded me of the ’60s,” passenger Benny Yekutiel told Channel 10, according to the Times of Israel. “But we weren’t stressed out.”

Israelis are not allowed into Iran because the Iranian government does not recognize Israel.

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