A mum and dad who apparently abandoned their baby son at an airport check-in counter as they ran to catch their flight have been quizzed by police.

When the couple arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel on 31st January, check-in for their Ryanair flight to Brussels had already closed.

So the parents – who hold Belgian passports – left their son in his pram at the counter and legged it towards security, reported local media.

But they were stopped by staff, turned around, and ordered to collect their infant.

Airport workers then alerted security and police, who took the parents in for questioning.

A Ryanair employee told local media: “All the workers were in shock. We have never seen anything like that. We didn’t believe what we were seeing.”

Some reports said the parents left their baby son at the counter because they were told they needed to pay for a ticket for the infant and refused.

It is not clear if the family is now back in Belgium.