‘There Were a Lot of Miracles Here’: Grandfather Waiting at Ben Gurion Recounts His Family’s Ordeal Aboard the Flydubai Flight

Elyakim Itali arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on the evening of Wednesday, September 30, to welcome family members returning from Japan. His eldest son and two grandchildren were due to land on a Flydubai flight, but within a short time he discovered that the plane carrying them was not heading for Tel Aviv at all. The flight had been diverted to Saudi Arabia, and during the first few hours, even the family waiting in Israel did not fully understand what had happened in the air.

“I arrived at Ben Gurion Airport at about 9:15, when the flight was supposed to land at 9:24, and I received confirmation that everything was fine,” Itali recalled. Minutes earlier, however, another of his sons had called about a Flydubai flight diverted to Saudi Arabia; Itali gave him the flight number, and then came the alarming news: “Yes, your family is on that flight.” Itali waited for some time at the airport and, when he realized the incident would continue, returned home; only later did details emerge, and another son managed to reach the passengers.

“Before we spoke to them, there was fear because we didn’t know what had happened,” he said. “At first they said it was a hijacking, and then we understood that they had dropped 15,000 feet in a minute.” His family heard a great deal of shouting, then saw a crew member emerge from the cockpit area with blood on his shirt, and described three Israelis entering the cockpit, one of whom managed to take control of the aircraft and stabilize it. Itali noted that 174 Israelis were aboard. The turning point came when the family learned the plane had landed and could speak with their loved ones: “They’re fine. They’re being taken care of by the Saudis,” he said. “There were a lot of miracles here, and we’ll recite Birkat Hagomel. There’s no doubt.” (INN/VFI News)

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” – Psalm 91:11