Four runaway passengers who escaped a parked plane on New Year’s Day opened the aircraft’s rear door themselves and leapt off the plane before dashing across the tarmac to jump the airport’s security fence, sources told Times of Malta.
The aircraft, Turkish Airlines flight TK619, was travelling from Istanbul to Marrakesh when a passenger reported feeling unwell just as the aircraft was approaching Sicily, prompting a diversion to Malta.
Once the plane was grounded, airport staff began preparations to disembark the sick passenger, bringing stairs to the aircraft’s front door and searching for their luggage with the aircraft hold.
With AFM officials on-site to oversee the disembarkation, the four passengers snuck towards the rear of the plane, opened the door and jumped off the plane, immediately sprinting towards an area under construction as part of the airport’s terminal expansion project.
Sources say that AFM officials chased after them as soon as they spotted the runaways who, by then, had an 11-second head start.
The four runaways managed to evade capture, careening across the runway and scrambling over the airport’s security fence.
All four runaways are Moroccan nationals, police told Times of Malta.
Two of them, aged 28 and 34, were captured by police over the next few hours, but two others remain at large.
Meanwhile, the person who reported feeling ill was taken to Mater Dei Hospital under arrest.
Fake medical emergencies
Attempted aircraft escapes spurred by false medical emergencies are not uncommon across Europe, with Malta also having experienced its fair share of incidents in recent years, according to sources.
But Wednesday’s incident is believed to be the first time the runaways evaded capture.
A similar incident took place in Malta just over a year ago, in November 2023, when another Turkish Airlines flight, this time to Algiers was diverted to Malta, prompting two passengers to attempt a short-lived escape.
Similar incidents have been reported in recent years across several European airports, including Mallorca, Barcelona and Rome.
