The Ibiza airport was the scene of an unusual incident this midday, when a passenger on an Iberia Express flight bound for Madrid unleashed chaos by activating the emergency evacuation ramp. The Guardia Civil had to intervene and proceed to arrest him after an episode of extreme nervousness that further delayed the plane’s take-off.
A delay that ignited tension
The flight, which was scheduled to take off at 13:30 hours, was delayed for unclear reasons. The wait was made more uncomfortable when the crew turned off the engines to refuel, leaving the passengers without air conditioning and increasing the temperature in the cabin significantly.
In this context, a man began to show signs of extreme nervousness, shouting that they were being “kidnapped” and claiming that he could not stand the situation any longer. “This is a full-fledged hijacking! I’m disembarking right now!” he exclaimed, according to witnesses present on the plane to whom Diario de Ibiza had access.
A scene of panic
The passenger’s screams caused concern among the rest of the passengers, who also began to show signs of nervousness. In view of the growing tension, the crew decided to request the intervention of the Civil Guard.
Small incident/error today at #Ibiza #airport during @iberiaexpress stopover…š«£āļø #tourism #IberiaExpress #aviation pic.twitter.com/3WarP0EReT
– Nikoxpress ā (@nikoxpress). December 11, 2024
When the agents arrived at the scene, the man, visibly upset, committed an unexpected act: he pressed the emergency button that activates the evacuation ramp, deploying it on the runway.
Delays and possible penalties
The incident not only added to the tension on the flight, but also caused an additional 45-minute delay in takeoff. The man was arrested and taken to police custody, where he now faces possible charges of disorderly conduct and damage to the aircraft, in addition to a likely significant financial penalty.
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