Air Canada plane told to circle Tel Aviv airport until conditions deemed safe

Air Canada 767-300ER in Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion Airport. Photo by Raimond Spekking / Wikimedia Commons.

TORONTO—An Air Canada flight had to circle Tel Aviv’s airport for 10 minutes after air traffic control said the conditions needed to be confirmed as safe for landing.

Airline spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur said Friday Flight AC84 was advised to circle by Israeli Air Traffic Control shortly before 12 p.m. local time. She says the plane altered its course about 5 miles (8 kilometres) from Ben Gurion airport and landed 10 minutes later without incident.

She did not say why.

Arthur says the return flight to Toronto departed Tel Aviv about two hours later. The airline plans to operate this evening’s flight to Tel Aviv.

Flights by Air Canada and other airlines to Tel Aviv resumed Thursday after a suspension Tuesday following a Hamas rocket strike nearby.