Greek airline accused of discrimination

JERUSALEM - Agence France-Presse

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The Palestinian leadership demanded yesterday the Greek government act after two Arab passengers were expelled from an Israel-bound flight, saying the decision to remove the pair was “reminiscent” of apartheid.

Two Arab passengers with Israeli documents were forced off an Aegean Airlines flight before it set off from Athens on Jan. 3 after Israeli Jews protested about their presence.

After an initial complaint by passengers, the pair’s documents were checked again by Greek security but no issues were found.

However by this stage the protest had escalated, with dozens of passengers refusing to take off until the men were removed from the plane.

“It started with three or four people and by the end there were 60-70 people standing up, demanding that the pair disembark,” an Aegean spokesperson said. Eventually the pair left after negotiations with the airline, staying in a hotel at Aegean’s expense and flying the next day.

The incident delayed the flight to Tel Aviv by over 90 minutes.