Israeli authorities are investigating whether a service vehicle that struck an Israir aircraft at a London airport before takeoff may have been part of a deliberate act with a nationalist motive. The incident forced the cancellation of a flight to Tel Aviv and marked the third time in less than a year that an Israir plane has been hit by an airport service vehicle in London.

The aircraft was preparing to depart for Tel Aviv on Friday when a ground service vehicle collided with it, requiring an inspection to assess the damage. Following the investigation, officials determined that the aircraft could not operate the flight, and the departure was canceled.

The string of similar incidents has raised concerns within Israel’s aviation industry. Senior aviation officials have questioned whether the repeated collisions could be intentional, prompting Israeli authorities to raise the matter with aviation officials in London and the United Kingdom while considering additional steps with local authorities.

The canceled flight caused significant disruption for passengers. Some travelers were accommodated in hotels, while others were rebooked on alternate flights later that day.

Passengers who observe Shabbos were unable to travel before sunset on Friday and remained in London until Sunday, when they returned to Israel on another flight.

According to passengers, they remained seated inside the aircraft for approximately an hour without air conditioning. The aircraft was then shut down, and they waited for another hour before being informed that the flight had been canceled.

{Matzav.com}