Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson has apologised after a cabin crew member announced during a flight that Tel Aviv was in Palestine rather than Israel, resulting in a backlash.
Mr Wilson apologised after a flight attendant made the announcement in both English and Italian on a flight from Bologna to Tel Aviv on June 10th. The flight was descending into Tel Aviv airport at the time.
It is understood the crew member said: “Passengers [are] requested to return to their seats as the plane is about to land in Tel Aviv in occupied Palestine.”
Passengers complained and “continued to be abusive” after the flight attendant apologised. The BBC has reported that police had to be called to meet the aircraft when it landed.
Several Israeli media commentators called for Israelis to boycott the airline if an apology was not forthcoming.
Mr Wilson explained that the company was “100 per cent satisfied that it was an innocent mistake with no political overtones or intent”.
He said that airline plans to “invest in Israel to grow traffic and connectivity” both for Israelis travelling to Europe and also to bring much-needed inbound tourism to Israel.
Mr Wilson added that he has written to the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, adding that Israel was an “important partner” for Ryanair.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean from the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, a human rights group, questioned Mr Wilson’s apology adding: “How would Ryanair react if their flight attendant on a flight to Dublin announced multiple times that passengers would soon be arriving in the UK? Everyone is entitled to their opinions but not to alternative facts.”
Ryanair, in a statement to the Jewish Chronicle, said what occurred was “an innocent mistake with no intent” and was immediately corrected and apologised for by the senior crew member on board.
“A junior crew member on this flight from Bologna to Tel Aviv made a routine descent PA mistakenly saying ‘Palestine’ instead of ‘Tel Aviv’”.
The airline chief also apologised to the Simon Wiesenthal Centre. On Twitter the centre said it welcomed the apology.