Young man stows away on flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna after eluding airport security
18-year-old manages to travel on Austrian Airlines flight without ticket, is returned to Israel upon arrival; two months ago, a different boy boarded El Al flight without documents
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An Israeli man managed to sneak aboard a flight from Ben Gurion Airport to Vienna without a passport or ticket on Tuesday.
According to the Israel Airports Authority, the 18-year-old passed through security at the airport but did not complete border control requirements, eventually managing to sneak onto the Austrian Airlines flight.
He was returned on a flight to Israel after he was discovered not to have valid documentation, Hebrew media outlets reported.
“The airline and the Population Authority will conduct an inspection and investigate the case, in order to strengthen the layers of control and oversight of the [security] process,” the IAA said in a statement.
Austrian Airlines said it was conducting an “internal investigation” but could not provide further details on the matter.
The incident comes two months after a 13-year-old boy managed to board an El Al flight to New York despite not having a ticket or a passport.
In that case, the would-be stowaway spent some time in a duty-free shop before boarding the plane, where he was caught by the flight crew, removed from the aircraft, and questioned.
Passengers at Ben Gurion Airport are required to undergo several document checks before boarding their flights. It is unclear how the young man managed to get through all steps without being stopped.
Sharon Wrobel contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.