Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

A baby was abandoned at a check-in counter at a Tel Aviv airport in Israel when a couple turned up without a plane ticket for the child.

According to the New York Post, the couple held Belgian passports and arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Tuesday (Jan. 31) with their baby in tow. They planned to board a Ryanair flight to Brussels.

The family arrived late without a ticket for the child. Instead, the couple was informed by Ryanair staff at the counter that they had to buy an extra ticket for the baby.

According to officials, the check-in counters were closed, and the couple was either unable or unwilling to purchase a ticket for their child, wrote New York Post.

Couple left their child at check-in counter

The couple apparently left the child at the airline check-in counter and headed to board their flight. A video of the baby in a carrier left at the counter showed the ground staff uncovering the baby in a stroller.

Parents with #Belgian passports wanted to board a flight from #TelAviv to #Brussels They #abandoned their #child at the check-in desk and attempted to pass security #Airport staff forced them to collect their #baby and called #police to arrest the pair pic.twitter.com/Fu7tsGTwpd

— Brandi Worlds News (@BrandiSaari) February 2, 2023

A spokeswoman for Ryanair told CNN in an email that the matter was referred to the police.

"These passengers travelling from Tel Aviv to Brussels (Jan. 31) presented at check-in without a booking for their infant. They then proceeded to security leaving the infant behind at check-in."

"The check-in agent at Ben Gurion Airport contacted Airport Security, who retrieved these passengers, and this is not a matter for local police," the spokeswoman said.

The Israeli Aiport Authority also confirmed the incident with CNN and said in a statement:

"A couple and an infant with Belgian passports arrived for a flight at Terminal 1 without a ticket for the baby. The couple also arrived late for the flight, once the check-in for the flight was closed. The couple left the infant seat with the baby and ran toward the security checks at Terminal 1 in an attempt to reach the boarding gate for the flight".

A Ryanair manager at the airport told Israeli news outlet Channel 12: "All our staffers were in shock. We've never encountered anything like this. We couldn't believe what we were seeing."

CNN also reported that the matter was resolved by the time the police arrived and the baby is now with the parents.

S$36 plane ticket for the baby

According to Ryanair's website, there is an Infant fee of €25 (S$36) for one infant per one-way. The infant must be below two years old for outbound and return flights.

"Infants can be included in flight reservations during the online booking process," the website states.

Top photo via Brandi Worlds News' Twitter