Pafos Press 28 August 2025
Tensions flared on an Arkia flight from Paris to Tel Aviv, which made an emergency landing in Cyprus on Wednesday afternoon, when a passenger attacked a flight attendant during takeoff. The aircraft, which was operating the route with a crew from Denmark on a chartered plane, was diverted to Paphos airport following a decision by the captain.
According to the official announcement of the company cited by Israel National News, the incident began when the passenger attempted to go to the toilet during takeoff, violating safety instructions. When he was asked to return to his seat, he reacted with a verbal and physical attack on a cabin crew member. The prescribed security procedures were immediately activated and the captain decided to land in Paphos. There, the passenger was removed from the aircraft and arrested by the Cypriot police. Arkia, in a statement, stressed that the flight would continue as normal to Tel Aviv after the incident was resolved. At the same time, it expressed its apologies to travelers for the inconvenience, emphasizing, however, that the company "will make absolutely no concessions on security issues or in cases of violence against its staff."