German airline apologizes for excluding Jewish passengers

BERLIN (AP) — German airline Lufthansa has apologized for refusing to let any members of a large group of Orthodox Jewish passengers onto a flight after some of them refused to wear masks. In a statement late Tuesday, Lufthansa said it “regrets the circumstances” and sincerely apologizes. The airline said it was reviewing what had happened during the incident on May 4, involving passengers from New York transiting in Frankfurt for a flight to Budapest. Some of the passengers had allegedly refused to comply with rules requiring them to wear masks. Lufthansa staff then reportedly blocked all passengers who were visibly identifiable as Jews from boarding their connecting flight, not just those who refused the masks. Lufthansa said it wouldn’t tolerate antisemitism.