Dozens of Shabbos-observant passengers were stranded in London for Shabbos after an Israir flight to Israel was canceled when an airport service vehicle collided with the aircraft during ground operations.

Israir Flight 116 was scheduled to depart for Israel on Thursday evening, but the aircraft was damaged while being towed before takeoff. The collision rendered the plane unfit for service, forcing the airline to cancel the flight.

According to reports, this is the third such incident involving an aircraft being damaged during towing operations at the London airport. It remains unclear whether airport officials have conducted a formal investigation into the previous incidents.

Following the cancellation, passengers were returned to the terminal to collect their luggage. Israir arranged hotel accommodations and transportation for the stranded travelers and informed passengers who chose to make their own lodging arrangements that they would be reimbursed for hotel, transportation, and meal expenses in accordance with company policy.

The airline said it has been working with airport authorities and other relevant parties to operate a rescue flight as soon as possible to return passengers to Israel.

However, Shabbos-observant passengers who remained in London will not be able to return until Sunday.

Israir apologized for the disruption, stressing that the incident was beyond the airline’s control and emphasizing that passenger safety remains its highest priority.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)