Gaffe by pilot causes outrage
Israel: Welcome to Palestine, captain announces on arrival in Tel Aviv
An Alitalia pilot is being investigated after it was alleged he made highly insensitive remarks to his mainly-Israeli passengers on arrival in Tel Aviv.
The BBC News website reports that the pilot announced: “Welcome to Palestine, happy Independence Day to Palestine” as he came in to land at the airport. The situation was made worse by the fact that Israel was commemorating its Memorial Day – the annual day when the country remembers its war and terrorism victims.
A spokesman for Alitalia in Israel told the BBC that the airline had not spoken to the pilot about the incident, but added: “One thing is certain, this captain will not fly to Israel again.” The airline has apologised for the remarks and are reported to have sent a letter of apology to Israel’s ambassador. Many passengers are thought to have complained about the remarks.
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