Fed up pilot leaves without passengers
I have operated several charters into Tel Aviv and have had the same thought more than once.....
Monday May 12, 06:06 PM
Fed up pilot leaves without passengers
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Czech pilot, exasperated by a deliberate go-slow by protesting workers at an Israeli airport, has flown back to Prague without passengers and carrying inbound baggage, an airline spokesman says.
The pilot for CSA Czech Airlines, who landed at Israel's international airport on the outskirts of Tel Aviv at 5:15 a.m. was scheduled to make a return flight 45 minutes later.
But after waiting 2-1/2 hours for airport workers to unload and reload his plane, he gave up and took off.
"They allowed the 82 arriving passengers to disembark, but no workers would take the luggage off the plane. So we flew back and will transport the luggage to Tel Aviv later today," CSA spokesman Vaclav Kral in Prague told Reuters on Monday.
He added that around 30 or so passengers scheduled to leave for Prague were stranded.
Israel Airports Authority spokesman Pini Schiff said: "He (the pilot) waited for as long as he did, then got approval from the Czech authorities to leave without passengers to Prague."
The work slowdown at the airport was called by Israel's Histadrut labour federation in protest at government plans to cut public spending by 11 billion shekels (1.5 billion pounds) through job and salary cuts.
CSA is a member of the Sky Team alliance led by Air France and Delta.