A Wizz Air flight from Rome to Tel Aviv was delayed on Friday after a passenger asked to leave the aircraft shortly before takeoff, prompting local police to board the plane.
Flight 6043 had been scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport at 6:45 p.m.
Footage posted on social media showed Israeli passengers standing inside the aircraft as police officers climbed the stairs toward the entrance. The incident took place after boarding had been completed and passengers were already seated ahead of departure.
According to accounts published online, the passenger had drawn the attention of some travelers during check-in, before boarding the aircraft. After boarding was completed, he suddenly asked to leave the flight, causing concern among passengers and prompting police intervention.
Initial reports said the captain had announced that the flight was canceled and that passengers were removed from the aircraft. It was later clarified that the flight would continue, although its arrival was significantly delayed.
The aircraft ultimately landed at Ben Gurion Airport at 10 p.m.
Concerns over flying on Shabbat may be behind incident
Several claims about the reason for the incident circulated on social media. One passenger claimed that the man had recently become religious and asked to leave the aircraft after realizing that the flight was expected to land in Israel after the start of Shabbat. The claim has not been independently verified.
Descriptions of the passenger's appearance and the languages he spoke also circulated online. Those details do not in themselves indicate why he asked to leave the flight, and it remains unclear what prompted his request.
The incident caused a significant delay as passengers waited for local authorities to complete their checks and address the situation.