Drama in the Skies: Hundreds of Breslover Chassidim Removed from Flight After One Passenger Vaped

A flight filled with Breslover chassidim headed to Uman for Shavuos was thrown into chaos after one passenger was caught smoking an electronic cigarette, forcing the plane to return to Tel Aviv and leading to the removal of all passengers, Matzav.com has learned.

The incident occurred on a Wizz Air flight scheduled to depart from Tel Aviv to Bucharest, Romania, on Thursday. Just moments before takeoff, smoke detectors in the cabin were triggered when a passenger began vaping. Flight attendants rushed to the scene, and although there was no immediate danger to the aircraft, security protocols required the involvement of law enforcement.

Despite the passenger explaining that he was unaware the smoking ban extended to e-cigarettes, police arrived and ordered all passengers off the plane. Among them were hundreds of Breslover chassidim en route to Uman for Yom Tov. The group had planned a journey from Bucharest to the Ukrainian border to spend Shavuos at the kever of Rav Nachman of Breslov.

The annual Shavuos pilgrimage to Uman is part of a longstanding tradition established by Rav Nachman himself, who encouraged his followers to join him during three key times of the year: Rosh Hashanah, Shabbos Chanukah, and Shavuos. Even after his passing, chassidim continue to uphold this custom, gathering at his kever for these dates.

One of the passengers related: “The flight was supposed to depart at 5:00 p.m., but without notice it was delayed until 6:00. Then one passenger, who didn’t realize how serious vaping was, used his e-cigarette, and because of that, all of us were thrown off the flight, with no explanation and no alternative travel arrangements.”

Drivers were already waiting in Bucharest to help the group cross into Ukraine, and all those plans were ruined. “No one was available to talk to us. Out of all the passengers, only eight managed to book a replacement flight late that night at a cost of $1,000.”

While incidents involving passengers smoking on planes have occurred in the past, they typically result in the removal of the individual offender, not the entire passenger list.

{Matzav.com}