Pregnant plane passenger arrested for ‘faking labour’ to force emergency landing

Spanish police are now hunting 14 people who made their escape from a plane that had been diverted to Barcelona's airport after a pregnant passenger allegedly “faked labour”.

A statement from the local government office in Catalonia said the incident occurred on Wednesday, November 30, when a Pegasus Airlines flight bound for Istanbul requested clearance for an emergency landing at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport.

One of the aircraft’s 288 passengers was a pregnant woman who told aircrew she had gone into labour.

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As the jet, which had started its journey in Morocco’s largest city Casablanca, was on the tarmac, 27 passengers suddenly left the aircraft without authorisation and tried to make their escape.

Police managed to detain 13 of them but another 14 passengers managed to give the authorities the slip.

Recent reports say a further two escapees have now been picked up by police.

Of the 13 fugitives initially captured by police, five agreed to get back on the plane and continue on to their original destination of Istanbul.

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A further eight will be processed by Spanish immigration officials and are expected to be put on another Pegasus flight out of the country, officials said.

All but one are believed to be Moroccan citizens, AFP reports.

The woman at the centre of the drama has been arrested on charges of public disorder after doctors at a hospital determined that, although she is pregnant, she was not, in fact, in labour.

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A similar stunt was attempted in November last year, when another aircraft on the same route was forced to make an emergency landing in Mallorca after a passenger claimed to be falling into a diabetic coma.

In that case, 21 passengers fled as the man was being disembarked from the aircraft.

Twelve of them were arrested, including the alleged diabetic.

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