Plane Flies 2,500 Miles With Just One Passenger On Board

A Boeing 737 plane reportedly flew 2,500 miles with just one passenger on board, having done a round trip from Israel to Morocco.

According to The Independent, Israel's national airline El Al flew the jet from Tel Aviv to Casablanca, where it picked up a passenger for medical treatment.

In a two-class format, a Boeing 737 jet can usually seat around 160 passengers, but the traveller on board this flight - believed to be an Israeli businessman - was the only one.

Data shared on flight tracking website FlightRadar24 shows that flight LY5051 left Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport at 2.20pm (local time) on Monday 26 April and landed just over six hours later in Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport at 5.22pm.

The plane then left Casablanca at 7.10pm before arriving back in Tel Aviv just before 3am, the return journey taking just under five hours.

Local aviation reporter Itay Blumental shared more information about the unusual trip on Twitter, reporting that an Israeli businessman living in Morocco was being transported back to Tel Aviv for 'medical treatment'.

Roughly translated to English, he said: "El Al will soon take an ambulance flight (LY5051) from Ben Gurion Airport directly to the city of Casablanca in Morocco in order to bring an Israeli businessman living in Morocco for medical treatment in Israel. The plane will return to Israel during the night."

A later update claimed the flight was organised by a company called Madassis Medical Flights, which 'brought an intensive care team and advanced medical equipment to the plane, overseen by Dr. Ami Mayo, Assuta Intensive Care Manager and the company's medical director'.

Responding to several other Twitter users, Blumental added that the passenger had paid for everything himself.

Blumental said: "Medical intensive care flights usually cost the sick passenger and his attendants. Not every company / aircraft can make such a flight due to medical equipment, a permit for a RTA pilot and other matters related to air pressure, etc.

"Due to the distance and equipment - a relatively small passenger aircraft (and not an executive aircraft) was also chosen."

LADbible has reached out to El Al for comment.

Topics: Plane, World News, News, travel

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman