In an embarrassing incident for Israir, one of the Israeli airline's Airbus 320 jets was impounded in Lisbon, Portugal, on Monday over a debt of millions of euros owed to EuroAtlantic Airways, a Portuguese carrier. A seven-year legal dispute between the two airlines began after Israir leased a plane from EuroAtlantic Airways and then returned it shortly afterward. In a decision on the case issued last December, the Portuguese Supreme Court ruled in favor of EuroAtlantic Airways. "Despite the ruling, [Israir] did not pay, so we impounded the plane," EuroAtlantic Airways CEO Tomaz Metello said Monday. Israir CEO Uri Sirkis said Monday's impounding took place without warning and that EuroAtlantic Airways had rejected numerous efforts to settle the matter. Sirkis said Israir was working to bring the affair to a close as quickly as possible.
