Larnaca airport was placed on alert on Monday evening after a passenger was found on board an airplane bound for Tel Aviv without being on the flight’s manifest, police said on Tuesday.
According to sources, the additional passenger – a woman from Georgia – had bought a ticket, checked in and passed security.
The sources added that the woman appeared to be regarded persona non grata in Israel.
During the final boarding inspection by airline staff, the woman appears to have intentionally evaded the check and boarded the aircraft.
She was discovered on board during a headcount by crew members and removed from the aircraft by the authorities.
The incident raised concern over security procedures, prompting Civil Aviation to launch investigations into how the passenger gained access to the aircraft and how procedures were bypassed.
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