Earlier this week, an Israeli teen, approximately 18 years old, managed to sneak onto an Austrian Airlines plane without a boarding pass. Only when he landed in Vienna did the Austrians discover he had no flight ticket, and he was returned to Israel. The case occurred about two months after another severe failure during which a 13-year-old boarded a flight from Ben Gurion to the US without a flight ticket. He slipped past all security circles by staying close to other passengers.

Following the incidents, conclusions were drawn, and boarding pass verification will now be conducted at the initial screening stage at Ben Gurion International Airport.

What has changed? Until now, passengers moved through various stages – from terminal entry to aircraft boarding – without needing to show flight tickets at certain points. Now, through a gradual rollout, travelers will be required to present boarding passes even at stages where this was not previously necessary.

Important to know: During the initial implementation phases, wait times may extend beyond normal, and queues at certain airport junctions may stretch longer than usual. The initiative is being deployed in learning phases, with full completion anticipated over the coming year.

The post Ben Gurion tightens security after teens sneak onto flights without tickets appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Kavanagh spent the night in an airport detention cell and appeared the next day before a judge in a closed session. She was released on bail as the criminal investigation continues. Both officers injured in the scuffle had to take medical leave.

Espagne : La combattante irlandaise de MMA Sinead Kavanagh a été arrêtée après avoir agressé 2 policiers espagnols, dans un avion Ryanair partant des iles Canaries pour Dublin, le 24/11.https://t.co/aRcfht9uCi pic.twitter.com/8Mel6wHqbs

— Franceat (@Franceatpresso2) November 26, 2025

The incident occurred after the cabin crew couldn't control Kavanagh's violent behavior, leading the pilot to call the police. Locally released videos show her struggling with officers in the aisle, with another woman who tried to intervene identified as the second passenger removed from the flight.

Kavanagh, from a Dublin suburb, won Ireland's boxing championship five times, competed with Katie Taylor at the 2021 World Championship, and later transitioned to MMA. She was ranked tenth worldwide in the women's featherweight division by Fight Matrix between 2021 and 2022.

The post Irish MMA boxer arrested after attacking police on plane appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Thursday morning brought the tragic conclusion when rescue teams recovered the body of Shagai Mor, a father of four, swept into the sea in Thailand after diving in to save his son. The incident happened on Koh Phangan.

Mor, 45, married to Inbal and father to four children aged 3-13, had lived in the Kela-Alon settlement in northern Golan for roughly 10 years. Shagai worked as a gardener. Over the past two years, he had been serving in active reserve duty. The community characterizes him as "a man of action who helped everyone. Beloved and friendly."

On Wednesday afternoon, the father entered the sea after his son, who had been swept away in the island's eastern bay, in the town of Chaloklum. The father succeeded in moving the son close to shore into the hands of nearby restaurant owners, who managed to pull the son onto shore while the father was pulled back into the sea, as the mother and her children stood on shore screaming for help.

Uri Kelner, head of the Golan Regional Council, stated, "The Golan Regional Council embraces the Mor family and the Kela-Alon community in this difficult hour. Our hearts are with his wife, Inbal, and the children." Inbal Mor, Shagai's wife, stated, "In these difficult hours, I want to express gratitude from all our hearts to the good people who mobilized to save Shagai. The hundreds of volunteers who searched throughout the night on nearby beaches, the Magen team, Klal Insurance, Chabad House, and the Foreign Ministry, and the round-the-clock support. We are now gathering within the family to cope with the difficult news and to strengthen the household."

Extreme weather hindered the search

The extensive searches faced significant difficulties due to extreme weather conditions, making it impossible to launch an emergency helicopter. Strong winds and nearly zero visibility blocked takeoff and safe navigation, while simultaneously the stormy sea and high waves prevented safe hovering or landing above the water.

Additionally, Koh Phangan has no emergency helicopters available, and regional helicopters are not authorized to operate under such conditions. Because of the powerful winds, drones also cannot take to the air, and significant difficulty exists in scanning the ocean surface from above. Deploying rescue boats also proved impossible. The breaking waves near shore create immediate capsizing danger, and the powerful side winds complicate vessel control and precise searching. Under such circumstances, dispatching a boat endangers both the rescued and the rescue team.

The entire Israeli community rallied for the searches, and for extended hours, approximately 160 volunteers combed the town's beaches with flashlights and motorcycles. Numerous young Israelis traveling in Koh Phangan joined the searches, along with tourists from across the world. Volunteers from the Israeli community on the island, social workers, and psychologists stayed with the mother and children constantly and provided emotional support for the family.

On Wednesday, during an overnight flight, a team from the Magen rescue and search company left Israel. Family members of the missing man were also aboard the plane. Wednesday night, at 1:30 a.m. (local time), the searches concluded as the sea rose again, becoming hazardous for the volunteers. The searches restarted Thursday morning. Numerous volunteers from the local Israeli community and Israeli tourists headed out for foot searches along the beaches and sea, scanning on private jet skis.

The post Israeli dad drowns in Thailand attempting to rescue son appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Just over 24 hours after the Congo mining disaster, an aircraft carrying the delegation of Minerals Minister Louis Watum Kabamba crashed on Monday at Kolwezi Airport. The plane, arriving from Kinshasa, ended up outside the runway before catching fire, raising serious concern among witnesses. The minister and all members of his delegation successfully evacuated the aircraft in time. According to his communications advisor, Isaac Nyembo, no injuries were reported.

The post Minister's plane crashes leaving Congo mine disaster appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The incident occurred Tuesday, when the couple was seen performing sexual activity in daylight, showing no consideration for the presence of other tourists. Some shocked visitors filmed the act and shared it online, sparking widespread public outrage and concerns about Thailand's tourism image.

The Koh Phangan district chief ordered an immediate investigation to identify and track down the couple. Authorities discovered the pair had been staying at a hotel in a village in the district. Wednesday, district and immigration officers, including the deputy police commander, arrested the man and woman at their hotel and took them to the Koh Phangan immigration office for questioning.

According to authorities, the two admitted they were the couple appearing in the sexual clip circulated online, and acknowledged they had engaged in sexual intercourse at the waterfall around midday on November 4. Following their confession, police charged the tourists with "committing an obscene act in public by exposing their bodies or offensive sexual behavior." The couple was transferred to Koh Phangan police station, where legal proceedings began.

Police stated that such behavior not only violates Thai law but also offends local customs and tarnishes the image of a popular nature site. Tourism authorities have long warned that visitors must respect Thai cultural norms, especially at public or sacred sites. This case serves as a reminder that Thailand welcomes tourists but expects them to behave with basic respect.

The post Israeli couple's sex at Thai waterfall gets them into trouble appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

A hotel on Ko Lanta island in Krabi province, Thailand, sparked discomfort and anger among Israeli tourists after displaying photos of the property decorated with Palestinian flags in its photo gallery on Booking.com.

Images shown on the Baan Pakgasri Hideaway hotel page feature Palestinian flags hanging in the hotel's outdoor area, above the guest relaxation zone. The gallery also shows a man photographed next to a flag emblazoned with a fist symbol and the text "Free Palestine," along with additional images in the same vein.

"We searched for a hotel on the island and saw these pictures on Booking, and decided to pass," one user shared. Questions also periodically arise from concerned users about whether it's advisable to visit the Ko Lanta and Krabi area, which are associated with a large Muslim population.

Ko Lanta island and the broader Krabi province area in Thailand are known as regions with a traditional Muslim population, unlike other Thai destinations such as Phuket and Bangkok, where the majority is Buddhist. The island, where most residents are Muslim, includes numerous mosques and offers halal menus for the local population and Muslim tourists. Against this backdrop, the decision to display public support for Palestinians at the local hotel reflects the cultural and religious identity of a significant portion of the island's residents.

A response from Booking will be provided when received.

The post Why did Thai resort use Palestinian flags for promotional content? appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Blue Bird responded to the incident and stated, "As an Israeli-owned airline that continued flying to Israel continuously during the war, Blue Bird Airways views this case with great severity and immediately contacted the ground services company in Barcelona with a demand to ensure incidents of this type will not occur in the future on its flights to Israel. We wish to express sincere apologies to the passengers and emphasize our commitment to Israeli customers."

The latest incident joins numerous anti-Israeli incidents from recent months. For example, in August, the organization StopAntisemitism published that a Jewish passenger on an American airline JetBlue flight received the kosher meal he ordered with the offensive expression "Zionazi" written in handwriting on the packaging. The term combines the words "Zionist" and "Nazi" and is considered a distinctly antisemitic slur.

The published photo shows the meal with the inscription. The organization wrote in the post, "We are shocked to see a JetBlue passenger receive his kosher meal with the word 'Zionazi' on it. Whoever is responsible for this must be fired immediately – this feels like 1941, and Jews will not tolerate this hatred."

Additionally, Jewish passengers on a flight from Madrid to Buenos Aires in August who ordered kosher meals received their food trays with writing saying "Free Palestine" or the initials FP, which stands for "Free Palestine."

The post Crew writes 'Palestine' on Israeli passenger's luggage during Blue Bird flight to Tel Aviv appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The aircraft, measuring 6.7 meters in length and 2.3 meters in width, offers a passenger cabin with a two-meter ceiling height and comfortable seating for nine passengers. According to Otto Aerospace CEO Paul Touw, "You no longer need to crane toward a window to see outside – you can sit in your seat and experience the whole world around you. It's a surreal feeling."

Meanwhile, high demand has already been recorded: private jet company FlexJet has signed a contract to purchase 300 units of the Phantom 3500 at an estimated value of $5.85 billion, with an official price of approximately $19.5 million per aircraft.

The post Exclusive look at aircraft of the future appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Ryanair maintains that the company's operations during the recent summer were disrupted repeatedly following Ben Gurion Airport's decisions to close Terminal 1 several times, transferring the company's flights to the significantly more expensive Terminal 3. According to the airline, this rendered the low-cost routes unprofitable. The company will forfeit approximately one million seats and 22 direct routes to Tel Aviv during the winter season.

"We are fed up with our flights being affected time after time. It is absurd that Ben Gurion Airport refuses to approve the summer 2026 allocations, when flight schedules are already being sold. We will not return to operate loss-making flights during the upcoming winter without certainty for summer allocations and regular operations in Terminal 1," Ryanair's department stated.

Additionally, Ryanair noted that they are prepared to cooperate with airport management in temporary transfers to Terminal 3 when necessary, but demand that costs remain in accordance with Terminal 1 rates.

"Until a guarantee is given for summer allocations and maintaining Terminal 1 operations, Ryanair will not return to operate from Tel Aviv. The company clarifies that only after clear clarifications from Ben Gurion Airport management, it will consider resuming its operations with 22 routes and low prices that have no competitors in the Israeli market."

Ryanair operated flights to more than 20 destinations including Germany, Poland, Italy, Bulgaria, France, Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Hungary and others.

The post Ryanair halts Israel flights, says it's fed up with treatment appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

A Republic Airways pilot, flying under the American Airlines brand, told air traffic control: "We were just hit by a green laser on the right side. It's still ongoing, even after we made a turn." The controller then warned other aircraft that "an unauthorized laser illumination is occurring about two miles north of Boston at an altitude of around 600 feet."

Despite the disruption, the FAA confirmed that no injuries were reported. The agency has launched an investigation together with local authorities. The FAA stressed that pointing lasers at aircraft is a federal offense that can endanger lives, cause temporary blindness or serious eye damage to pilots, and potentially lead to disaster. Offenders face fines of up to $32,000 per incident, as well as criminal penalties of up to five years in prison and a federal fine of $250,000.

According to FAA data, there were 13,304 reported laser strikes against aircraft in 2023. The number dropped slightly in 2024 to 12,840. Since the beginning of 2025, 5,913 incidents have already been recorded.

Officials said the motivations range from people unaware of the dangers to deliberate acts. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker summed it up: "At the end of the day, lasers and airplanes don't mix. If you have a laser, use it responsibly. Never aim it at an aircraft."

The post Where did the mysterious laser that struck planes come from? appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.