Umamah Bakharia | ub@radioislam.co.za

2 min read
2 February 2023 | 22:30 CAT

A Belgian couple abandoned their baby at a airport check-in in Tel Aviv, Israel, after being unable to purchase a flight ticket for the infant.

Picture: Al.com

According to CNN, the pair were checking in for a Ryanair flight from Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel, to Brussels, Belgium, with their child when it emerged that the baby did not have a ticket.

Upon realising they had to buy a separate ticket for their baby, they left the child in a pram at the check-in desk and proceeded towards the security terminal.

Ryanair’s travel policy states that passengers travelling with an infant can either pay around £25 (approximately R520) for a lap seat or pay the same price as an adult for a separate seat for the child.

“The check-in agent at Ben Gurion Airport contacted airport security, who retrieved these passengers, and this is now a matter for local police,’’ says a Rynair spokesperson following the incident.

In a video posted by the Daily Mail, airport staff can be seen inspecting the line pram before one of the workers pull the blanket revealing the abandoned child.

This led to staff at the security check-in refusing to allow the couple through and forced them to return to collect the infant before calling the police.