Pregnant Airline Passenger Detained After 'Faking Labor' to Force Emergency Landing, 14 Others On The Run
The Spanish police are currently searching for 14 passengers who bolted from a plane that was diverted to Barcelona's airport after a passenger allegedly "faked labor." A pregnant woman who informed the flight crew that she had gone into labor was one of the 288 passengers aboard the aircraft.
The event happened on Wednesday, November 30, when a Pegasus Airlines flight headed for Istanbul requested permission to make an emergency landing at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport, according to a statement from the regional government office in Catalonia.
27 passengers abruptly and without permission tried to flee the jet while it was parked on the tarmac after departing from Casablanca, the capital city of Morocco. 13 of them were taken into custody by police, but 14 other passengers managed to escape.
According to recent reports, authorities have already apprehended two other escapees.Five of the 13 fugitives who were initially apprehended by police and taken into custody consented to board the aircraft once more and fly to Istanbul as planned. Eight more people will go through the immigration process in Spain and are anticipated to board another Pegasus flight out of the nation, according to officials.
According to AFP reports, all but one are thought to be Moroccan citizens. Despite being pregnant, the drama's central character was not in labor when she was arrested on suspicion of public disorder, according to medical staff.
Another plane on the same route was compelled to make an emergency landing in Mallorca in November of last year after a passenger claimed to be entering a diabetic coma. This was an attempt at a similar stunt. In that incident, while the man was getting off the plane, 21 passengers ran away. Twelve of them, including the alleged diabetic, were detained.