Newsroom
A passenger count revealed an unexpected problem on a flight from Larnaca to Israel on Monday: there was one person too many on the plane.
The extra passenger was a woman from Georgia who, according to police sources, was considered unwelcome in Israel. She was removed from the aircraft after allegedly getting past the airline’s final boarding check.
The civil aviation authorities are now investigating how it happened.
According to police sources speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, the woman had bought a ticket, checked in normally, and passed through the Cypriot authorities’ checks. There was nothing outstanding against her in Cyprus.
But at the boarding gate, where airline staff check passengers before they enter the plane, she allegedly avoided the check and made her way on board. The passenger count then revealed the extra person.
Police spokesperson Byron Byronos told ANT1 that, despite having a ticket, the woman was not on the flight’s passenger list. ANT1 identified the airline as TUS Airways and said it was also investigating.
For anyone who has repeatedly shown a passport and boarding pass before reaching their seat, the obvious question is how she got through the last check.
Passing the checks in Cyprus and being allowed into Israel are separate matters. Police said there was no issue with her here but have not explained why Israel considered her unwelcome.
That does not, by itself, mean she posed a danger. The concern is how someone who was not on the passenger list reached the cabin and whether the boarding checks worked as they should.
