Teen Slips Through Ben Gurion Airport Security, Boards El Al Flight to New York Without Ticket or Passport

A 13-year-old boy managed to bypass multiple layers of security at Ben Gurion Airport and board an El Al flight to New York without possessing either a ticket or a passport, according to Hebrew media reports on Wednesday.

The incident occurred late Tuesday night and has prompted an investigation by Israel’s Airports Authority. The boy, whose identity has not been released, reportedly evaded detection by closely following an adult through the security and passport control areas — a tactic that may have prevented him from being stopped. Passengers under 15 are required to travel with an adult, though it remains unclear whether the accompanying adult was aware of the teen’s actions.

After passing through all inspection points, the boy reportedly spent time in the Duty Free area before proceeding to the gate and boarding the plane. He was later spotted by members of the flight crew sitting in a seat reserved for staff just before takeoff.

The crew quickly alerted authorities, and the boy was removed from the plane and questioned.

“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.”

The Airports Authority confirmed to The Times of Israel that the matter is under investigation.

Passengers at Ben Gurion Airport typically face a rigorous three-step process before reaching their gate. They must present both a passport and ticket at each stage: check-in, security inspection, and passport control.

At the check-in counter, passengers are asked security questions about their luggage, hand over their bags, and are registered as present for their flight. They must then present documents again at the security area where hand luggage is screened.

Next, travelers proceed to passport control, where they must scan their passport and face a biometric camera to verify identity before being permitted through the gate.

Finally, after passing through the Duty Free zone, each passenger must once again show their passport and have their boarding pass scanned at the gate before boarding the aircraft.

It remains unclear how the boy managed to bypass these multiple layers of screening and board the plane undetected.