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El Al Israel Airlines

Slovenia Turns Away Israeli Passenger Jet, Forcing Diversion to Croatia

Slovenian authorities denied an Israeli passenger plane permission to land in the capital, Ljubljana, on Wednesday, June 3, in what was described as a protest against Israeli government policy. The Israir Airlines jet was forced to divert to an airstrip in neighboring Croatia, landing in Zagreb. Israel’s Foreign Ministry denounced the incident as completely unacceptable.

The aircraft reached Ljubljana Airport, but air traffic controllers refused to let it touch down. Israir director Uri Sirkis called the move a blatant violation of European Union aviation agreements, saying Slovenian authorities are refusing to let any Israeli carriers land because they are strongly opposed, politically, to the Israeli government line. Israel’s Foreign Ministry and Civil Aviation Authority worked to resolve the matter without success.

The Foreign Ministry noted that Slovenia is in the process of forming a new government in place of the outgoing, hostile one, and Israel expects a significant improvement in relations between the countries. Transportation Minister Miri Regev called it an invalid political decision that directly impacts Israeli citizens, warning that anyone who tries to boycott Israel through aviation should understand there will be consequences and that Israel will use all tools available to it. Israir operates three weekly scheduled flights to Ljubljana, and no other carrier offers a comparable direct route.

(TOI/VFI News)