Lucca International Airport in Malta witnessed a widespread security alert on Wednesday, January 1, 2025, following the incident of Moroccan passengers escaping from a Turkish Airlines plane.
Flight TK619, which was taking off from Istanbul heading towards Marrakesh, was forced to make an emergency landing due to a Moroccan passenger suffering from a health condition that required urgent medical intervention. While the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane was parked, four passengers took advantage of the opening of the rear door without stairs, jumping onto the runway and fleeing toward nearby construction workshops.
The Maltese authorities quickly launched an expanded search operation in which security forces and the army participated, which resulted in the arrest of two fugitives, while efforts are still underway to locate the other passengers. At the same time, the Moroccan passenger who caused the landing was transferred to Mater Dei Hospital, where he is under tight security surveillance.
Despite the accident, the plane resumed its flight after a three-hour stop, and arrived in Marrakesh safely.
The incident is not the first of its kind, as several similar attempts have been recorded in recent years, the most prominent of which was an incident of Moroccan passengers escaping after an emergency landing in Barcelona in 2022 and another in Rome in 2024, which increases the pressure on the European authorities to strengthen security measures, especially on flights coming from the regions. North Africa and Turkey.
