Passenger revenge: How a cancelled flight led to the seizure of a Blue Bird plane
A group of 28 Israeli passengers successfully obtained a court order in the Netherlands to seize equipment from a Blue Bird aircraft at Schiphol Airport. The move was a response to a flight cancellation two years ago.
Twenty-eight Israeli passengers, seeking approximately half a million shekels in compensation from Blue Bird and the company Kavim Hofsha following a flight cancellation, took an unusual legal step last month. They turned to a court in the Netherlands, which ordered the seizure of equipment on a Blue Bird flight at Schiphol Airport, valued at about 149,000 euros.
The seizure, which included jet fuel and navigation charts, threatened to ground the flight to Israel. The situation was only resolved after Kavim Hofsha deposited the required sum into a trust account held by the passengers' attorney. In response, Blue Bird announced its intention to file a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the passengers for misleading the court.
The background of the dispute
The conflict dates back to December 2024, when passengers bound for Budapest faced a flight cancellation. They claim they spent hours at Ben Gurion Airport waiting at an abandoned check-in counter without receiving any information. When a company representative finally appeared, they were accompanied by police, which the plaintiffs allege was intended to prevent them from complaining.
In the lawsuit, filed by attorneys Dr. Gideon Fisher and Yaniv Nissanholtz, it is noted that the company failed to provide kosher food alternatives and did not notify passengers of schedule changes. After the flight was officially cancelled due to a "technical malfunction," the passengers received no compensation, prompting them to seek legal recourse internationally.
Legal consequences
On July 1, 2026, the District Court of North Holland granted the passengers' request, issuing a temporary seizure order on the airline's movable assets. The plaintiffs' representatives describe this as an unprecedented case of international cooperation that helped protect the rights of Israeli citizens.
Blue Bird, however, insists that all passengers were refunded for their tickets and that those who needed to travel were offered alternative flights. The airline claims the plaintiffs concealed material facts when approaching the Dutch court and vows to file a counter-lawsuit in the coming days.
