United Hatzalah Volunteer and Doctor Save El Al Flight From Emergency Landing After Passenger Collapses

An El Al flight traveling from Israel to Bangkok was the scene of a medical emergency when a 79-year-old Israeli passenger suddenly lost consciousness, prompting an urgent appeal for medical assistance from fellow travelers. A United Hatzalah volunteer and an intensive care physician who happened to be aboard the aircraft rushed to his aid, providing treatment that allowed the flight to continue to Thailand without an emergency landing.

The incident occurred during the international flight when the elderly passenger became unresponsive. Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, flight attendants used the aircraft’s public address system to ask whether any doctors or emergency medical personnel were among the passengers.

Yechiel Mintz, a volunteer medic with United Hatzalah who was traveling to Thailand, immediately responded to the announcement and made his way to the passenger.

“During the flight, one of the passengers lost consciousness. The flight crew asked over the loudspeaker if there was a medic or doctor, and I immediately got up to help him,” Mintz recounted following the incident.

As Mintz began assisting the passenger, another traveler stepped forward to help. She was a physician from the intensive care unit at North Medical Center in Poriya, bringing specialized medical expertise to the emergency unfolding thousands of feet above the ground.

“A doctor from the intensive care unit at North Medical Center in Poriya, who was also on the flight, joined me,” Mintz said.

Working together, the two medical professionals provided care to the passenger while the aircraft continued toward its destination. Their intervention helped stabilize the situation and enabled the flight crew to avoid diverting to another airport for emergency medical assistance.

“Thanks to the rapid medical response, the flight continued to its destination without the need for an emergency landing,” Mintz said.

The aircraft ultimately remained on its scheduled route to Bangkok, sparing the passengers and crew an unscheduled diversion.

The passenger’s precise medical condition and the treatment administered aboard the aircraft were not disclosed. However, the successful intervention demonstrated the importance of having trained emergency responders available when a medical crisis occurs during a flight, particularly when immediate access to hospital care is impossible.