Arkia crew members discovered a bag containing rat pups inside a drink service cart on a flight from Preveza, Greece, to Tel Aviv on Sunday. According to the report, when the crew opened the cart, which held disposable cups and water, an adult rat jumped out and several pups were then found in one of its shelves.
The incident triggered a sharp dispute between Arkia and its catering supplier, Tamam. Arkia said the cart came from Tamam's dry-goods storage warehouse, not from food intended for passengers, and stressed that no meal or drink served on the flight was contaminated or affected. The airline said the cart was taken out of service immediately after the discovery.
Arkia added that Tamam is responsible for preparing, storing, and transporting catering supplies for Israeli and foreign airlines operating at Ben Gurion Airport. The airline demanded a full and thorough investigation into the circumstances and said it expected complete explanations and corrective steps to ensure the incident is not repeated.
Tamam rejected the allegations, saying the cart contained soft drinks only and had been checked and approved before loading. The company said any attempt to cast doubt on its plant, which supplies hundreds of thousands of meals each month, is unacceptable and could be answered in court if needed. Tamam said the cart had been inspected by an Arkia crew member and a catering representative before departure, and that the case was only discovered after the aircraft was parked in Greece. It called on Arkia to conduct an urgent, in-depth inquiry.
