Austrian Airlines flight OS654 from Košice to Vienna was delayed by around two hours after a man gained unauthorised access to Košice International Airport, boarded a parked Embraer E195 aircraft (tail number OE-LWI) and fell asleep inside.
According to local reports, the Slovak man, believed to be in his 50s, entered the nearly empty terminal during the night, helped himself to food and coffee from two unlocked airport bars, and later climbed over a security fence into the restricted airside area.
He eventually reached an Austrian Airlines aircraft that had arrived from Vienna and was parked overnight with its boarding stairs and door unsecured. The man boarded the aircraft and fell asleep in a passenger seat, where he was discovered by the flight crew before departure. He reportedly asked the captain, “Have we taken off yet?“
As a precaution, the captain ordered a full security inspection of the aircraft, including a search by a specialist explosives team and a sniffer dog, delaying the flight by approximately two hours.
Košice Airport confirmed the incident and said security measures have since been strengthened, while Austrian Airlines also acknowledged the breach. Police have not disclosed whether criminal proceedings have been initiated.