Georgian Passengers Removed From Italy-Israel Flight Amid Security Concerns

A Tus Airways flight from Bologna, Italy, to Tel Aviv was delayed for three hours on Monday after three Georgian passengers were removed from the plane. The decision followed a request from Israel's Population and Immigration Authority, which stated that two of the passengers attempted to enter Israel using forged Israeli passports, and the third was prohibited from entering the country. The incident occurred five days after an attempted terror attack on a Flydubai flight to Israel, raising heightened security awareness. It remains unclear how the three individuals managed to pass through all security checkpoints and border control before boarding the aircraft. Following their removal, all other passengers and their luggage were also taken off the plane for a secondary screening. One passenger described the situation as confusing, noting that no clear explanation was given for the delay or the passengers' removal. Tus Airways stated that passenger and crew safety is their top priority and that they are cooperating with aviation authorities. The airline emphasized that at no point was there a danger to the crew or passengers. The parent company, Calcalist Tours, confirmed that the passengers were removed for re-examination according to Israeli immigration directives. In a separate, earlier incident on the same day, a passenger who had not completed border control procedures managed to board a Tus Airways flight, only to be identified by the crew minutes before takeoff. This passenger was also removed from the plane and handed over to the relevant authorities.