(CNN) — A couple abandoned their baby at an airport counter in Tel Aviv, Israel, following showing up without a ticket for the child.
The couple, who have not been identified, checked in for a Ryanair flight on Tuesday from Ben Gurion International Airport to Brussels, Belgium.
It was learned that the baby did not have a ticket and the couple went to board the flight, leaving the child at the airline’s check-in counter.
The matter has been referred to the police, a Ryanair spokeswoman told CNN in an email.
The airline’s spokeswoman said: “These passengers traveling from Tel Aviv to Brussels (January 31) showed up at check-in without a reservation for their baby. Then they went to the security check leaving the baby on the counter.”
“The check-in officer at Ben Gurion Airport contacted airport security, who located these passengers, and this is now a local police matter,” he added.
According to Ryanair’s website, “infants can be included in a flight reservation during the online booking process.” When making plans to travel with a baby, a pop-up message appears on the site stating that there is a charge of €25 (US$27) — or the equivalent in local currency — for each outbound flight the baby takes while it is sitting on the lap of an adult. A seat must be paid for separately if the adults want the child to travel in an infant seat.
The Israel Airports Authority confirmed the facts to CNN in a statement.
“A couple and a baby with a Belgian passport arrived for a flight to Terminal 1 without a ticket for the baby. The couple was also late for the flight, when check-in for the flight had closed. The couple left the seat with the baby and ran towards the security checks in Terminal 1, in an attempt to reach the gate for the flight.”
An Israel Police spokesperson 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 is no further investigation.”
CNN’s Richard Allen Greene contributed to this report
