Arkia Israeli Airlines flight from JFK to Tel Aviv declared an emergency and diverted to Gander

GANDER, NL — An Arkia Israeli Airlines flight bound for Tel Aviv has resumed its journey across the Atlantic after making an emergency diversion to Newfoundland on Monday evening due to a medical situation on board.

Flight IZ034, operated by an Airbus A330-300 with registration 9H-HFA, departed New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on Monday, October 19, 2026, en route to Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) in Tel Aviv.

After taking off from JFK, the aircraft climbed to its cruising altitude of 37,000 feet and began its trans-Atlantic crossing. However, approximately three hours into the flight, the flight crew declared an in-flight emergency by transmitting squawk code 7700, the international signal for an urgent situation.

Air traffic controllers quickly vectored the wide-body aircraft toward Gander International Airport (YQX) in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The decision to turn around and divert was prompted by a sudden medical situation involving someone on board requiring immediate ground support.

The Airbus A330 touched down safely in Gander slightly more than four hours after its initial departure from New York, where medical personnel were on standby to assist upon arrival.

Following a brief stop on the ground to address the emergency and prepare for departure, the flight has taken off from Gander and resumed its flight path to Tel Aviv. The aircraft is now expected to arrive at Ben Gurion Airport in approximately eight hours.

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