A junior crew member working on board a Ryanair flight en route to Tel Aviv told passengers that “we are approaching Palestine” as the plane began its routine descent this week.
The flight, which was headed from the Italian city of Bologna, was on its way to Ben Gurion International Airport - located in the densely populated district of Tel Aviv, considered by some to be located in Palestine and by others to be in Israel.
The incident, which according to the budget airline was simply the result of a mistake, sparked a great deal of debate online, with many people posting on social media about the on-board occurrence.
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To give some context, Tel Aviv was founded as a Jewish suburb back in 1909 in the Arab city of Jaffa, which is why both Palestinians and Israelis lay claim to the area.
In a statement to the Irish Mirror, Ryanair explained that a junior crew member working on board the flight “mistakenly” announced the destination as Palestine, rather than Tel Aviv adding that there was “no intent” behind the message.
A spokesperson said: “A junior crew member on this flight from Bologna to Tel Aviv on June 10 made a routine descent PA mistakenly saying Palestine instead of Tel Aviv.
“This was an innocent mistake with no intent and was immediately corrected and apologised for by the senior crew member on board.”
The incident has caused quite a stir online, with many people on both sides of the debate posting on Twitter about the incident.
One person wrote: “I wish I’d been on this flight when the Ryanair attendant announced the plane’s destination as Palestine.”
While another added: “I didn't know they flew to Tel Aviv now I do. No such thing as bad publicity.”
Someone else wrote: “Ryanair sells tickets for Paris but lands 80km away in Beauvais. In 2006 on the way to N-Ireland, they aimed for the city of Derry and landed in Ballykelly. A small overshoot in Tel Aviv has you in the West Bank.”
Another posted: "Oh Ryanair, this is why we love you so." They added: "Ireland stands with Palestine."
However, this sentiment was not shared across the board, with some calling for a boycott of the airline, with one person tweeting: "Please, do not fly Ryanair" while another added: "If Ryanair considers Tel Aviv to be in Palestine then perhaps they should only do business with the Palestinian Authority."
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