LONDON (VINnews) — Israeli aviation officials are seeking a formal British investigation after an airport service vehicle struck an Israir aircraft at London Luton Airport on Friday, marking the third such collision involving an Israir plane at the airport in less than a year.

The latest incident occurred as the aircraft was being towed before its scheduled departure to Tel Aviv. The collision damaged the aircraft, forcing Israir to remove it from service for a technical inspection. After engineers assessed the damage, the airline canceled Flight 6H116, disrupting the travel plans of about 300 passengers.

Israeli aviation officials said the repeated incidents have raised concerns that the collisions may not be coincidental. While no evidence of deliberate wrongdoing has been made public, officials have asked British aviation authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the recurring accidents and determine whether additional safety or security measures are needed to prevent similar incidents.

According to Israeli media reports, Israir has told British authorities that this was the third time in less than a year that an airport service vehicle struck one of its aircraft at London Luton Airport. Airline officials reportedly argued that the pattern warrants closer scrutiny, particularly because no publicly known findings have been released regarding the previous incidents.

The airline has not publicly identified the operator of the service vehicle involved in Friday’s collision. British authorities have not announced whether the incident is being treated as a routine ground-handling accident or whether investigators are examining any other possible causes.

Passengers said they remained aboard the aircraft for about an hour without air conditioning after the collision before the engines were shut down. They then waited approximately another hour before being informed that the flight had been canceled.

Following the cancellation, some passengers were accommodated in nearby hotels while others were rebooked on alternative flights. Sabbath-observant travelers remained in London through the weekend because they do not travel on the Jewish Sabbath. Israir arranged an additional flight on Sunday to return them to Israel.

The incident comes amid heightened security concerns involving Israeli airlines and travelers in Europe following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. Israeli carriers operate under some of the world’s strictest aviation security procedures, and officials closely monitor incidents involving their aircraft both in the air and on the ground.

Neither Israir nor British aviation authorities have publicly released details on the extent of the damage to the aircraft or an expected timeline for completing the investigation.