An unusual incident occurred over the weekend on an Arkia flight from Amsterdam to Israel, after it was discovered while the aircraft was already taxiing toward the runway that one of the passengers on board did not have a ticket for that flight. As a result, the aircraft was forced to return to its parking position at the airport.

Eran, a passenger on the flight, told Mako that during preparations for takeoff, the pilot informed the passengers that the aircraft would have to return to the gate. He said the flight attendants later explained that there was a security incident involving a passenger who had boarded without the proper ticket.

According to Eran, security personnel arrived at the aircraft shortly afterward and removed the passenger.

“Within a few minutes, security personnel arrived and took him off the plane,” Eran said. “How is it possible for someone without a ticket to reach the boarding gate, get past the flight attendants during the final check before boarding, and sit down on a plane about to take off for Israel? This is not a routine delay, but a serious security failure that requires an investigation and clear explanations.”

Eran added that the passengers were not given a clear explanation of what was happening during the incident.

“We were not given proper information, and we did not receive clear answers to our questions,” Eran said. “People were stressed. There was a feeling that some of those involved did not understand the seriousness of the incident or the distress of hundreds of passengers who had been confined inside the aircraft for a long time.”

After the passenger was removed from the aircraft, the flight did not immediately depart. A technical malfunction was subsequently discovered on the plane, resulting in an additional delay before takeoff.

Arkia said in a statement: “During preparations for the departure of an Arkia flight from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv, while conducting a passenger count before takeoff, it was discovered that one passenger had mistakenly boarded the aircraft while holding a ticket for another flight.

“The passenger, who had no luggage with him, had undergone all screening and security procedures at Amsterdam Airport. As soon as the mistake was discovered, he was removed from the aircraft and transferred to the flight for which he was booked.

“We emphasize that the technical malfunction subsequently discovered on the aircraft, which caused the plane to return to the gate before departing again following repairs, was entirely unrelated to the passenger incident. These were two completely separate incidents.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)