A Wizz Air (W6) flight from Rome to Tel Aviv was delayed on Friday, August 7, 2026, after a passenger asked to leave the aircraft shortly before takeoff, prompting local police to board the plane, according to a report by The Jerusalem Post. Flight 6043 had been scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) at 6:45 p.m., but the disruption pushed its arrival back by more than three hours.
The incident began after boarding had already finished and passengers were seated for departure. Footage circulating on social media showed passengers standing inside the cabin as officers climbed the boarding stairs. According to reporting by The Jerusalem Post, the aircraft eventually landed at Ben Gurion Airport at 10 p.m., well past its original schedule.
Passenger Requests to Leave After Boarding Was Completed
According to accounts published online, the passenger had drawn attention from other travelers during check-in, before he even boarded the aircraft. Once seated, he suddenly asked to get off the flight, a request that caused concern among nearby passengers and prompted the crew to call police. His unusual behavior, combined with the timing of the request, was enough to make the flight crew treat the situation with caution rather than dismiss it.
Wizz Air, the Hungarian ultra-low-cost carrier, operates the Rome-to-Tel Aviv route several times a week using its Malta-registered subsidiary. Under standard airport security rules, once a checked passenger leaves an aircraft, ground staff must also remove that passenger’s luggage from the cargo hold before the flight can continue, which added to the delay.
Police Board Aircraft, Evacuate Roughly 300 Passengers
Police were called and boarded the aircraft, where they detained the passenger for questioning. Around 300 Israeli passengers were then evacuated from the plane and escorted back to the terminal while additional security checks were carried out. Israeli security personnel also arrived to inspect the aircraft directly.
Initial reports suggested the captain had announced the flight was canceled outright, and that passengers were being permanently removed from the aircraft. That account was later clarified: the flight continued once checks were finished, though its arrival was pushed back significantly.
Shabbat Timing Concern Emerges as Likely Explanation
A passenger on board was quoted by Matzav to have said that the disembarking passenger’s behavior was “very, very strange“:
“The flight attendant announced that boarding had ended, and then this man decided he wanted to get off the flight,” said M., a passenger on board. He didn’t explain himself, he didn’t give any reason why he wanted to leave, he didn’t communicate with anyone, not in English and not in Italian. He didn’t even apologize. An entire plane was standing there because of him, and he wouldn’t even look at us. His behavior was very, very strange.”
M. said the passenger appeared unconcerned that an entire plane was waiting, with many Israelis becoming panicked, angry, and frightened. The flight included many children, and passengers were eager to return home from their vacations, adding to the tension and anxiety in the cabin. According to M., the passenger simply “stared straight ahead as if nothing around him mattered“.
One passenger claimed the man had recently become more religiously observant and asked to leave after realizing the flight was expected to land in Israel after the start of Shabbat. That claim has not been independently verified by Wizz Air or Israeli authorities. A separate report indicated the passenger feared that a delayed departure would cause the aircraft to land during Shabbat itself, a concern known in religious circles as chillul Shabbos.
Descriptions of the passenger’s appearance and the languages he spoke also circulated on social media following the incident. Those details do not explain his motivation on their own, and it remains officially unclear what prompted his request to leave the aircraft.
Wizz Air Confirms Delay, Disputes Cancellation Reports
Wizz Air pushed back on early reports that the flight had been canceled, saying only that it had been delayed for security reasons. The airline stated that the flight from Rome to Tel Aviv was slightly delayed due to an additional security inspection, and that passenger and crew safety remained its highest priority.
The airline’s statement matched the sequence of events described by passengers:
“The flight from Rome to Tel Aviv was slightly delayed due to an additional security inspection. Passengers were asked to disembark so the additional inspection could be carried out, and the flight will depart as soon as it is completed. The safety of our passengers and crew remains the airline’s highest priority”
A full-aircraft security stand-down like this one typically follows a set sequence:
- Crew alert ground control and request police support
- All passengers are escorted off the aircraft and back to the terminal
- Checked baggage belonging to any offloaded passenger is located and removed from the hold
- Security personnel re-screen the cabin and hold before reboarding is permitted
- Passengers are reboarded once the aircraft is cleared for departure
All in All
Wizz Air has not indicated whether the passenger will face any formal charges or travel restrictions following the incident. Airlines typically leave that decision to local law enforcement once a security review is complete, and Israeli police have not issued a public statement on the matter beyond confirming the passenger was questioned.
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