A 13-year-old boy managed to get through security and passport control at Ben Gurion Airport and stow away on an El Al flight to New York despite not having a ticket or a passport, Hebrew media reported on Wednesday.
The boy, who was not identified, was not carrying a passport or ticket and passed through security and passport control by staying close to an adult, possibly to avoid being stopped. Passengers under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult. It was unclear, however, whether the passenger in question was aware of the teenager.
The incident occurred Tuesday night.
The stowaway then spent some time in the Duty Free shop before boarding the plane, where he was caught by the flight crew, removed from the aircraft, and questioned.
He reportedly was spotted by the flight crew, in a seat designated for one of them, shortly before the plane was set to take off.
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The Airports Authority told The Times of Israel that the incident was being investigated.
“The flight crew saw a boy who boarded the plane without a ticket or passport after passing all the security and border control stages at Ben Gurion,” El Al said in a statement to Channel 12.
“The boy was safely removed from the plane before takeoff, and the incident is being investigated by the Airports Authority.”
Travelers wait in line at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, on April 9, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Passengers at Ben Gurion Airport are required to undergo a three-part process before reaching their gate and must show their passport and flight ticket at every stage.
The first step is the check-in counter, where they are asked security questions about their luggage, drop off their bags and are registered as having arrived for their flight. People can leave the check-in hall without documents, but must produce them a few feet further at the security section.
Passengers must show their passports and plane tickets to get through the security gate, where their hand luggage is checked.
The next stage is passport control, where passengers face a gate and place their passports on a scanner and face a camera. Once the biometric system is satisfied that the passenger is the owner of the passport, the gate opens to allow them to pass.
The next stop, after the passenger has passed Duty Free, is the gate where passengers must show their passport and where their ticket is scanned before they can pass and board the plane.
It is unclear how the boy was able to surpass these obstacles without a passport or a ticket.
Sharon Wrobel contributed to this report.
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