Arkia flight crew found a bag containing rat pups inside a service cart on Monday aboard a return flight from Preveza, Greece, to Tel Aviv. The cart had been received in Israel before departure to Greece and was intended for use on the return leg. The discovery triggered a sharp blame game between Arkia and its catering supplier, TMM.
Arkia said the item was found in equipment that came from TMM’s dry-goods warehouse, not in food meant for passengers. The airline said the cart was immediately taken out of service and the matter was handled at once. It stressed that the animals never came into contact with food for passengers or crew, and that all food loaded onto the flight remained unaffected.
Arkia placed responsibility on TMM, saying the supplier is in charge of food preparation, storage, transport, warehouse conditions, sanitation, and quality control. The airline called the case very serious and demanded a thorough investigation, full explanations, and corrective steps to ensure it would not happen again.
TMM rejected the accusations, saying the cart was checked and approved before departure. The company said the cart contained only soft drinks and was inspected, as on every flight, by an Arkia crew member and a food company representative, who confirmed it was fully fit for use. TMM said the incident was discovered only when the aircraft was parked in Greece, and urged Arkia to conduct an urgent, deep internal inquiry. It also said any attempt to damage its reputation, as a supplier of hundreds of thousands of meals a month, could be answered in court.
