Man worried about flying on Shabbat sparks security scare on Wizz Air flight to Tel Aviv

A Wizz Air flight from Rome to Tel Aviv was delayed for several hours on Friday after a passenger, apparently fearful that he would not arrive before Shabbat, sparked a security scare by abruptly demanding to leave the plane just before take off, Hebrew media reported.

The incident began after boarding had been completed, when the passenger suddenly asked to disembark without explaining why, raising the suspicions of the crew and fellow passengers.

“He did not explain himself, he does not give a reason why he wanted to get off,” one passenger told Channel 12, describing widespread anxiety among those aboard.

The crew called local police, and the man was detained for questioning, while passengers were sent back to the terminal and the aircraft underwent additional security checks.

“Israelis are panicking, angry and frightened,” the passenger said, noting that many children were aboard.

In video posted to social media by passengers, the captain could be heard telling passengers that in light of the incident the flight was going to be cancelled and that busses were on their war to take people back to the terminal.

המוקד: דרמה בטיסת וויז מרומא לישראל: הקברניט הודיע על ביטול הטיסה, הנוסעים פונו pic.twitter.com/V6Kh890jvZ

— חדשות המוקד (@hamoked_il) August 7, 2026

Footage also showed passengers standing inside the aircraft as police approached, and later being returned to the terminal. Ultimately, the passengers were re-screened by security and the flight departed after a delay of several hours.

Flight 6043 had been scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport at 6:45 p.m., but eventually arrived at around 10 p.m., according to the Walla news site.

According to the reports, it later became clear that the man had feared that the flight would not land before the start of Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, when observant Jews are prohibited from traveling.

Shabbat started in Tel Aviv on Friday evening at 7:11 p.m.

In a later statement, Wizz Air said the flight had been “slightly delayed due to an additional security check” and that passengers were asked to leave the aircraft while it was carried out.

“The safety of passengers and crew remains the company’s top priority,” the airline said.

As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.

This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.

If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.

— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist

We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.

That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.

So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.

For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE , as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: The Times of Israel. Open at source →