Parents heading to Europe forget tot at airport

AN Israeli couple heading to Europe remembered to take their duty-free and 18 suitcases, but forgot their three-year-old daughter at the airport.

The couple and their five children were late for a charter flight to Paris yesterday and made a mad dash to the gate. In the confusion, their daughter got lost.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said a policeman found her wandering in the duty-free area at Ben-Gurion airport, Israel's bustling main international air portal. He said the officer alerted airline staff, but the flight had already taken off.

The incident happened on what Israeli media said was one of the busiest days of the year at the Israeli airport, with thousands of people leaving for summer vacations abroad. The Haaretz newspaper reported that 2.6 million passengers are expected to pass through the airport in July and August, an increase of 12 per cent compared to the same period last year.