El Al Boeing 777 Diverts Due To Smoke In The Cabin

Crews on an El Al Israel Airlines flight were forced to divert on Thursday 10th January 2020 after passengers noticed a burning smell in the cabin. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft landed in Canada for inspection without casualties. However, the incident left passengers stranded and seeking humanitarian aid.

Diversion to Halifax

El Al Israel Airlines flight LY26 was traveling from Newark, New York to Tel Aviv, Israel when it came into difficulties over the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft left Newark (EWR) at 20:04 local time and was expected to arrive in Tel Aviv at 13:20. However, nearly three hours after the flight had left New York, it was back on the ground at Halifax Stanfield International Airport. This was the closest major airport available at the time.

Why did LY26 make the stop? Passengers alerted crew to the smell of smoke filling the cabin of the Boeing 777-200. Once the fear was raised, the crew decided that the best course of action would be to return to land rather than continuing the nine-hour long journey.