Spanish airport police searching for passengers who fled diverted plane

Twenty passengers fled the Air Arabia Maroc service which diverted to Spain. Photo / Fabrizio Gandolfo, Getty Images

Mallorca Airport Police are searching for passengers who fled after an emergency landing.

Flights at one of Europe's busiest airports were grounded for four hours on Friday after 21 passengers escaped across the runway from a diverted plane. Police were still searching for the travellers over the weekend believed they were attempting to enter the country illegally.

On Friday the aiport said it has been shut own for "for security reasons".

The Air Arabia Maroc service to Istanbul Turkey touched down at Palma de Mallorca Airport, reporting a medical emergency on board.

After touching down the travellers ran across the busy runway and over the perimeter fence.

Spanish authorities said it was not clear if this was a spontaneous gambit to enter the country or a pre-planned bid to immigrate illegally into Spain and the European free movement zone.

On Saturday, Police said 12 passengers were still unaccounted for.

Aquí tenéis el vídeo que demuestra que el aterrizaje del avión marroquí en Palma de Mallorca estaba organizado. La delegada del gobierno en Baleares @del_illes @aina_calvo dice que no. Debería dimitir. Y todo esto con alerta 4 antiterrorista. Estamos indefensos. Es una vergüenza pic.twitter.com/MgUvEOtXwp

— Jorge Campos Asensi (@jcamposasensi) November 6, 2021

Local resident Louisa Louby Foster was on a departing plane, delayed by the incident. She told the Majorca Daily Bulletin vica phone that she saw the passengers escape:
"they're now hiding under planes all over the airport and it's difficult for the Police to find them because it's dark," she said.

"We are stuck here on the runway because they won't allow any planes to take off in case people are hiding under the wheels."

The rush of passengers happened after emergency services entered the plane, responding to a medical emergency. The paramedics were responding to a passenger who had supposedly fallen into a diabetic coma, reported the BBC.

The diabetic passenger, a Moroccan national, was given a health check and found to be healthy, according to Spanish news agency Efe. He was discharged and arrested for illegally entering the country, although a second passenger who had accompanied the man to the hospital reportedly disappeared.

A total of 24 individuals are under investigation for the incident.

Thirteen flights were diverted during the disturbance.

The Air Arabia plane continued to its final destination in Turkey, albeit with fewer passengers.