Israelis Sue Airline and Get Plane Arrested
28 Israelis whose Blue Bird Airways flight was canceled without warning filed a lawsuit for 550,000 shekels and obtained an arrest of the airline's assets. A Dutch court issued an arrest warrant, but after providing guarantees of 500,000 shekels, the plane was allowed to depart. The airline denies the claims and is preparing a counterclaim.
28 Israelis, passengers of a canceled Blue Bird Airways flight, filed a compensation lawsuit for 550,000 shekels and obtained a temporary arrest of the company's assets. The incident occurred in late 2024 at Ben-Gurion Airport: the flight to Budapest, scheduled for December 29 at 10:55, was canceled without warning. Passengers had gone through check-in and passport control but found an empty counter. The cancellation was only announced at 17:58, 7 hours and 3 minutes later. The company offered lunch, but it did not meet kosher requirements. The passengers turned to the court, and then in the Netherlands they obtained an arrest order on Blue Bird's assets, including fuel and navigation maps, to secure a claim of 149,000 euros. On July 8, the flight from Schiphol was delayed, but after providing financial guarantees of 500,000 shekels, the arrest was lifted. Blue Bird claims it refunded the money and provided an alternative flight, and plans a counterclaim.