An El Al flight from Tbilisi was forced to perform an emergency “go-around” just seconds before touching down at Ben Gurion International Airport.
TEL AVIV – Flight LY5492, operated by a Boeing 737-800 (registration 4X-EKR), was on its final approach to Runway 12. The aircraft was only a few hundred feet from the ground when air traffic control (ATC) instructed the flight crew to immediately interrupt the landing procedure.
The instruction came as sirens sounded in central Israel, signaling incoming rocket fire. Standard safety protocols dictate that during active alerts, the airspace around the airport is frozen to prevent aircraft from being vulnerable during their slowest and most rigid phase of flight.
After executing the go-around, the aircraft climbed to a safe altitude and was diverted to a holding pattern.
The aircraft is currently circling over the Mediterranean Sea, off the Israeli coast. Ben Gurion Airport temporarily halted all takeoffs and landings as a precaution, a routine but disruptive measure during such security events. However two US Air Force tankers just took off.
| Detail | Information |
| Flight Number | LY5492 |
| Route | Tbilisi (TBS) to Tel Aviv (TLV) |
| Aircraft Type | Boeing 737-800 |
| Registration | 4X-EKR |
| Event | Go-around due to security alert |
Passengers on the ground reported seeing the aircraft’s sudden ascent, followed by the distinctive sound of interceptions from the Iron Dome defense system in the distance.
