A passenger is to arrive on time to the gate itself and delay for reasons related to the passenger is his responsibility

A passenger flew from Israel to Istanbul and was due to take a continuing flight to Delhi. The connecting flight was to take off at 19:45. The passenger arrived at the gate at 19:15, and seeing that there was a long queue, sat down to read emails on his laptop. Fifteen minutes later, at 19:30, the passenger sought to board the plane but was told that the gate is closed and that he missed the flight.

The Court rejected the passenger’s claim and held that a passenger arriving at the gate just before closing time and long after boarding, may happen in exceptional cases that are not under the passenger's control, but certainly not because of things that depend on the passenger himself. When the passenger did not arrive at the gate on time, even if he was in the vicinity, he can only blame himself.