Israeli Passengers Sue Blue Bird Airlines Over Flight Cancellation, Leading to Dutch Court Injunction

In an unusual legal move, 28 Israeli passengers filed a lawsuit last month in a Dutch court against Blue Bird Airlines and its owner, Kavei Hofesh, demanding compensation of approximately 550,000 shekels for a canceled flight. The passengers had booked a flight from Tel Aviv to Budapest scheduled for December 29, 2024, which was canceled due to a technical malfunction. They claim they waited for hours at Ben Gurion Airport facing an unattended check-in counter and only saw a company representative accompanied by police officers after the cancellation was announced.

The passengers allege they received no prior notification of the cancellation or delay and were left without proper assistance, including kosher food accommodations during the extended wait. After the cancellation, the representative appeared with police presence, seemingly to prevent passenger complaints. The passengers sought compensation from the airline, but after repeated unsuccessful attempts, they escalated the matter internationally.

On July 1, 2026, the District Court of North Holland issued a temporary injunction freezing Blue Bird's movable assets in the Netherlands, including essential flight equipment such as fuel and navigation charts, valued at about 149,000 euros. This injunction was lifted after Kavei Hofesh deposited roughly 500,000 shekels into a trust account held by the plaintiffs' legal representatives, allowing the flight from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to Israel to proceed.

Blue Bird Airlines responded that the injunction was removed within an hour and accused the plaintiffs of failing to file their lawsuit within the court's deadline. The airline stated it had refunded the full ticket price and arranged alternative flights for affected passengers. Blue Bird announced plans to file a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the passengers for allegedly misleading the Dutch court.

The ongoing lawsuit in Israel remains unresolved, with the defendants yet to submit their defense. The plaintiffs are represented by Dr. Gideon Fisher and attorney Yaniv Nisenholtz, who described the Dutch court action as unprecedented international cooperation to protect passenger rights.