13-Year-Old Stows Away on El Al Flight After Evading Ben Gurion Security

A 13-year-old boy managed to slip past security and passport control at Ben Gurion Airport and stow away on an El Al flight to New York—despite having no ticket or passport—Hebrew media reported Wednesday Oct. 8. The daring breach unraveled only because the flight crew spotted him on board just before takeoff and removed him safely.

According to initial reports, the boy—whose identity has not been disclosed—traveled through multiple checkpoints by staying close to an adult, perhaps in hopes of blending in. Israeli regulations require that passengers under 15 be accompanied by an adult; it remains unclear whether the adult was complicit or unaware of the teenager’s plan.

The incident took place Tuesday night. After bypassing security and border passes, the boy spent some time in the duty-free area before boarding. Flight crew discovered him in a crew-designated seat shortly before departure, prompting his removal and questioning.

El Al issued a statement confirming the sequence: “The flight crew saw a boy who boarded the plane without a ticket or passport after passing all security and border control stages at Ben Gurion. The boy was safely removed from the plane before takeoff, and the incident is under investigation by the Airports Authority.”

Ben Gurion enforces a multi-stage screening process that should prevent such breaches. Passengers must:

Present identification and ticket at the check-in counter, where bags are dropped and initial security questions are asked.
Pass through a security gate, where carry-on luggage is scanned and travelers must show documents.
Show passports at passport control, where biometrics (passport scan and camera verification) confirm identity.
Present passport and boarding ticket again at the gate before boarding.

In this case, those layers failed to stop the stowaway, raising urgent questions about process integrity and enforcement.

The Airports Authority confirmed the incident is under investigation. A spokesperson said passenger screening records and CCTV footage will be reviewed to determine how the boy passed each checkpoint without detection.

Security experts warn that even a single breach erodes public trust in airport safety and suggests procedural vulnerabilities. The fact that a teenager navigated all formal barriers—ticketing, scanning, biometrics, and boarding—without documentation is deeply concerning.

Although fortunately short-lived, the event exposes serious gaps in airport security layers and emphasizes that vigilance and redundancy are critical in protecting both travelers and flight crews.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, yahoo.com, timesofisrael.com