El Al plane bound for LA makes emergency landing in Montana with 300 aboard

Marcy Oster

(JTA) — An El Al flight with nearly 300 people on board made an emergency landing in Billings, Montana.

Warning lights showed that there was a fire in the right engine, the Billings Gazette reported Sunday. The passengers had to exit using a landing ladder, according to the newspaper, as the Boeing 777 was too large to park at the terminal.

A spare plane was being sent from New Jersey to allow the passengers to finish their journey, which started in Tel Aviv.

With no U.S. Customs agents stationed at the Billings airport, Customs officials were sent from Great Falls to handle the passengers, the Gazette reported.

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