Ukraine International Airlines airplane
Ukraine International Airlines airplaneiStock

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) has been fined NIS 5,000 ($1,550) by an Israeli court, Israel Hayom reports, for what it termed “public humiliation” of an Israeli couple when airline staff made anti-Semitic remarks at an airport in Vienna as they were attempting to transfer flights on their way back to Israel, around three years ago.

According to the couple, the trouble started when they were told to pay a surcharge of 60 Euros ($70) for excess weight in their hand luggage. They began to transfer some items from one bag to another only to hear airline staff making derogatory comments such as “Why do Jews always have a problem with paying out money?”

They were then told that they would not be allowed to board the flight from Vienna to Israel, even though their suitcases had already been checked in. Eventually, they arrived in Israel on a different flight, and only then were they given back their luggage.

UIA denied the allegations of anti-Semitism, although it did not dispute the couple’s account of events.