This is the most bizarre flight diversion story that we have ever heard.
Air Arabia Maroc's Medical Diversion to Mallorca
Air Arabia Maroc flight 437, which was to fly on Friday, November 5, 2021 from Casablanca (CMN), to Istanbul (SAW), was scheduled. The flight, which covered 2,085 miles, was operated by an Airbus A320 and took 4hr30min.
The flight left as normal. However, a medical issue arose shortly after takeoff. It was thought that a Moroccan man was in a diabetic state. Pilots requested that the plane divert to Palma de Mallorca, PMI. The plane did so quickly to allow the passenger to be offloaded and get medical attention.
Air Arabia Maroc diverted towards Mallorca
This sounds like a fairly standard medical diversion, right? Here's the thing: It gets weird!
More than 20 passengers board a plane to Mallorca
The plane crashed in Palma de Mallorca. Not only did the passenger with the medical problem and his companion get off, but more than 20 passengers fled the plane. The passengers made a wild run across the tarmac and jumped over the airport's perimeter fences.
The airport was closed for almost four hours due to the security beach. The airport was closed for nearly four hours due to the fact that 13 flights had to be diverted and 40 flights were delayed.
Oh, and the ill passenger! The patient was quickly discharged and taken into custody on suspicion that he faked his illness to illegally enter Spain. He also ran away with his travel companion. 24 people were involved in the incident. Only 12 of them have been arrested. This means that half of those who fled have not been located.
The plane returned to Casablanca after the diversion with the passengers who did not try to run. I'm assuming that the crew would have finished their time if they continued to Istanbul.
This was an elaborate, planned scheme.
Police continue to investigate how organized this whole thing was.
Did the patient who was admitted fake his illness to get the flight diverted? Was this done to divert the flight to Spain, if so, when was it all timed?
Did all the passengers know that the scheme was in place, or did they just jump at the chance?
This sounds straight out of a movie. It seems like this was all planned. It is hard to imagine that someone would come up with the idea.
Bottom line
A passenger suffering from a medical condition forced Air Arabia Maroc to divert its flight to Spain on Friday night. Around two dozen passengers ran across the runway towards the airport's perimeter fence after the plane touched down in Palma de Mallorca. The airport was shut down for almost four hours. Later, it was discovered that the original medical diversion might have been faked.
Around half of the 24 passengers who boarded the plane in Spain are now safe and sound. The rest are still at large. We will soon find out how well organized this whole thing was.
This is the oddest diversion or what?
