Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) is often referred to as the world’s most secure airport. However, even there it seems to be possible for people to sneak onto flights, in what can only be described as a very strange story.
Crew catches teenager who snuck onto EL AL flight
The Times of Israel reports that on the night of Tuesday, October 7, 2025, a 13-year-old boy managed to get through security and passport control at Ben Gurion Airport, and board an EL AL flight to New York. This is despite the fact that the boy didn’t have a ticket or passport.
It’s believed that the teenager managed to sneak through most checks by staying close to an adult while passing through security and immigration. Passengers under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult when traveling, but of course that doesn’t explain how he remained undetected.
After clearing security and immigration, the teenager spent some time in the duty free shops, before boarding the plane. He only ended up being caught by the flight crew. He reportedly sat in a seat that was designated for one of the crew members, shortly before the plane was due to take off. Once caught, the boy was removed from the aircraft and questioned.
Per a statement from the airline:
“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. The boy was safely removed from the plane before takeoff, and the incident is being investigated by the Airports Authority.”
It’s a mystery how the boy passed all these checks
It’s concerning when people are able to sneak through both immigration and security checkpoints at any airport, but it’s especially puzzling at an airport like Ben Gurion, which prides itself in its very high security standards.
All departing passengers at the airport are required to undergo a three part security screening process, and that includes showing your passport and ticket or boarding pass at every stage.
This starts with a security screening at the check-in counter, including being questioned. Presumably this skip was stepped, since the teenager didn’t have a boarding pass or passport on him. But then passengers again have to show their documents when going through security, and then also when going through passport control (where travelers have to undergo biometric screening). Then travelers have to go through yet another boarding pass check before boarding their plane.
It’s one thing to sneak past just one of these checks, but being able to pass through all of them, without being detected? That’s rather alarming. I wonder if he was actually screened properly at the security checkpoint but just didn’t have his documents checked, or if he even evaded the entirety of the standard screening.
One also wonders what the teenager’s motive was with this little excursion. He somehow made his way to the airport, and presumably he put some thought into this scheme, or else he wouldn’t have almost gotten away with it.
Bottom line
A teenager managed to sneak onto a New York-bound EL AL flight without a passport or boarding pass, somehow evading all the security checks. He was only caught onboard, when he reportedly sat down in a seat reserved for a crew member.
While you occasionally see people sneak onto flights, it’s particularly surprising to see this at Ben Gurion Airport, given the extreme security measures in place.
What do you make of this incident involving an unaccounted for EL AL passenger?
