Bad fuel prompts flight delays

TEL AVIV - Nine flights departed Tuesday morning after being grounded overnight at Ben Gurion International Airport following routine checks that revealed the fuel supplied to airlines was contaminated and failed to meet international standards.

The flights finally departed from the airport after a few hours and refueled in Larnaka, Cyprus en route to their final destinations.

Following the disturbing findings, fuel companies decided to refrain from supplying fuel to planes at the airport, prompting the grounding of the flights.

The Airport Authority had said El Al and Continental were the only airlines affected by the problem.

Although flights are usually not permitted to depart between 2 and 5:30 a.m., the ban was lifted in light of the unusual circumstances.

An El Al Israel Airlines spokesman said the airline was doing everything in its power to ensure the supply of proper fuels.

The spokesman said passengers scheduled to depart from Israel should contact El Al's call center at 03-9722333. (For those dialing from abroad, the number is 972-3-9722333)

The El Al flights delayed included 075 to Honk Kong, 081 to Bangkok, 027 to Newark, 001 to New York, 105 to Toronto, and 327 to Paris.  

Passengers choose to stay at airport

More than 2,000 passengers were reportedly stranded at the airport as a result of the flight delays. More flight delays were expected Tuesday. 

Passengers chose to stay at the airport in the hope the problems would be resolved, said economic advisor Mary France, who works at Israel's embassy in Thailand.

"There's nowhere to sit down, and the airport if filled with people," she told Ynet. "Many flights were delayed and everyone is waiting."

Airport authorities informed waiting passengers that the delays were a result of contaminated fuel, France said.