Couple leave ticketless baby at Israeli airport check-in

This picture taken on March 7, 2021 shows a general view of Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. - Israel took another step towards post-pandemic normalcy on March 7, opening restaurants, bars and cafes to vaccinated "green pass" holders, with about 40 percent of the population fully inoculated against the coronavirus. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

 (CNN) — A couple abandoned their baby at an airport check-in desk in Tel Aviv, Israel after arriving without a ticket for the child.

The pair, who have not been identified, were checking in for a Ryanair flight from Ben Gurion International Airport to Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday with the infant.

It emerged that the baby did not have a ticket, and the couple headed off to board the flight — leaving their child behind on the airline check-in counter.

The matter was referred to police, a spokeswoman for Ryanair told CNN in an email.

She said: “These passengers traveling from Tel Aviv to Brussels (31 Jan) 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 now a matter for local police.”

According to Ryanair’s website, “infants can be included in a flight reservation during the online booking process.” When making plans to travel with an infant, a pop-up message appears on the site stating that there is a €25 ($27) charge — or the local currency equivalent — for each one-way flight the baby takes while sitting on an adult’s lap. A seat must be paid for by separate arrangement if the adults want the baby to travel in a car seat.

The Israeli Airport Authority confirmed the episode to 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 spokesman for Israel Police told CNN in a phone call that the matter appeared to have been resolved by the time police arrived on the scene. He said: “The baby was with the parents and there’s no further investigation.”