Man with ‘memory issues’ vanishes after accidentally flying to wrong country

Meir Furman, 80, was reportedly heading from Israel to Munich, Germany, but somehow managed to get on a completely different flight and ended up in Vienna, Austria

A desperate search is underway for an elderly man with severe memory issues who accidentally boarded a plane to the wrong country and disappeared.

Meir Furman, 80, was reportedly heading from Israel to Munich, Germany, but somehow managed to get on a completely different flight at the same airport to neighbouring Austria. Furman, who is an Israeli-Swiss citizen, is believed to have been without a mobile phone or any form of money when he got on board.

After arriving in the Austrian capital Vienna on Saturday (May 23), Furman was last seen wandering around the city’s Ottakring district, with the final sighting of the man being at a restaurant called Café Fashion, according to Austrian news outlet Krone.

He is thought to have spent the last two nights outdoors alone. Both Israeli and Austrian police are believed to be involved in the search for Murman, who has been described as having severe memory loss and disorientation.

A spokesperson for the Vienna Police Department urged the public to come forward with any information.

The incident is not the first time a passenger boarding the wrong plane has sparked alarm.

In 2023, a British passenger made headlines when they boarded a plane heading for the north of England instead of Portugal.

The Brit, who was described as needing assistance, was meant to be picked up by airport staff, but concerns were raised when they seemingly vanished, leading to the EasyJet flight they were meant to be on being grounded for over an hour.

Incredibly, the passenger was found to be alive and well, having accidentally boarded a plane flying to Bristol.

Baffled passenger Ryan McCormick told Glasgow Live at the time: “Me and eight other friends had booked a holiday to Portugal.

“The flight was due to take off at 2.20pm. When we turned up at the terminal we noticed a wee bit of a commotion.

“One of the assistance staff was looking for somebody and asking all the elderly female passengers their names, so we knew something was up.

“We all boarded and sat waiting to taxi on the runway. The captain came on the tannoy and said there was going to be a delay because a passenger was missing.

“Half an hour later we were told they still hadn’t found her and that security couldn’t locate her in any of the terminals. We were delayed for another 45 to 50 minutes and there was police coming on and off the aircraft.”

“After another delay the pilot told us that the company’s hands were tied and the aircraft couldn’t leave until they found the passenger, 20 minutes later we were told that she was located in Bristol Airport and there will be further delay to get her baggage off the aircraft to be screened and put back on the plane.”

After the missing passenger was found down south she was put on a plane to her final destination.

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