Plane is evacuated and terrified passengers run across the tarmac after boy, 11, writes a note that there is a bomb on board Canary Islands flight (and signs it ‘the terrorist’)
- Pilot ordered ‘get out’ after the bomb note was discovered on Fuerteventura
- 180 passengers ran across the runway after evacuating the Vueling plane
- Letter given to pilot said there was glycerin on board and signed ‘the terrorist’
- Armed police confirmed the prank was the work of an 11-year-old boy
A plane was evacuated and terrified passengers ran across the runway after an 11-year-old boy wrote a note saying there was a bomb on board, signed ‘the terrorist.’
The dramatic scenes were captured by a plane spotter alongside the runway of the airport on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura.
The 180 passengers on board a Vueling flight to the Spanish mainland were told to evacuate just minutes before take-off.
Emergency procedures were activated after a letter was handed to the pilot claiming a device with glycerin inside was hidden on board.
Passengers disembarking the plane at Fuerteventura airport after the 11-year-old’s bomb hoax
Emergency vehicles line up on the runway as they rushed to the pilot’s request for assistance
Frightened passengers ran across the tarmac to safety whilst the aircraft was isolated and police and fire crews rushed to the scene.
The Civil Guard and police dogs searched the interior but nothing was found and it was declared a false alarm.
The Vueling flight was destined for Santiago de Compostela last night when the note was discovered in the cabin.
Officers from the Armed Command Institute of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria are reported to have identified the culprit as a child, aged 11, who has been interviewed along with his parents.
The airport authority AENA said Fuerteventura airport remained operational throughout the alert.
One man on board the plane told Canarias7.es that they were waiting for it to take off when another passenger folded out his flight tray and found the hand-written note tucked inside and signed ‘the terrorist’.
A stewardess reported the incident to the pilot who said protocol had to be adhered to and asked all the passengers to disembark.
‘Everyone was very good, there was no hysteria,’ he said.
The Vueling jet standing on the runway beside a bus being used to ferry passengers from the scene
A police car and ambulance were seen rushing out to the Vueling jet after the pilot ordered its evacuation
An ambulance can be seen tearing towards the passenger jet after fears were raised by the bomb note
They were later told the boy had written the note ‘as a joke’. It is not known if he will be prosecuted but adults in the same situation would face jail.
The flight to Santiago eventually reached its destination at 4am today.
Vueling confirmed it had been a false alarm and nothing had been found when the plane was searched. All the crew and passengers disembarked without incident.