Plane passenger sparks emergency landing after convincing himself SNAKES were slithering on easyJet flight from Gatwick
A PASSENGER “went berserk” at 30,000ft and sparked an emergency landing convinced there were snakes running loose on his easyJet plane.
He was wearing a t-shirt with a snake pattern on it, and suddenly feared the reptiles were slithering around the cabin.
Families looked on in horror as the flyer became abusive and threatening, and repeatedly screamed, “Snakes on a plane! We need to land!”
The pilots became so concerned about the safety of Saturday’s 3pm flight from Gatwick airport to Marrakech in Morocco they took the decision to make an emergency landing.
They diverted the jet to Faro in Portugal at 5.45pm and police and emergency services lined the runway as the plane landed.
Cops came onboard and escorted the snake-fearing passenger off the Airbus A320, with around 180 passengers and crew onboard.
Flight EZY8705 took off again for Morocco, arriving around 11pm and causing knock-on delays to the easyJet schedule.
The harrowing events brought back terrifying memories of the 2006 cult movie ‘Snakes On A Plane’ starring Samuel L. Jackson, in which dozens of venomous snakes were released on a passenger plane in an attempt to kill a trial witness.
A source told The Sun: “It sounds funny to hear a passenger screaming ‘Snakes on the Plane!’ but it was incredibly scary for the families on the easyJet flight.
“No-one quite knew what was going on, or initially if the flyer had actually seen a snake loose among the cabin at 30,000ft.
“But it soon became apparent that the flyer was either so drunk or on illegal drugs and he was imagining things.
“He was in such a state that he thought the snakes on his t-shirt were real and sliding around the seats.
“He became violent and abusive and was making threats. And intimidating staff and passengers. It was incredibly upsetting. It’s thought the passenger had consumed large quantities of drink and or drugs before take-off.
“The pilots had no option but to divert the flight and land in Faro. It was the sensible and safe thing to do and the consideration of the other passengers and crew were at the forefront of their minds.”
The diversion meant frustrating knock-on delays for passengers of up to four hours of other easyJet flights over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
The action thriller Snakes On A Plane became an internet phenomenon, due to the film‘s title, casting, and plot.
Before and after the film was released, it was parodied and discussed on TV shows, video games and social media.
The movie grossed £55million worldwide before its release on home video in 2007.
An easyJet spokesperson told The Sun: “easyJet can confirm that flight EZY8705 from London Gatwick to Marrakech on 19 April was diverted to Faro due to a passenger behaving disruptively onboard.
“The passenger was met by police on arrival in Faro.
“The safety of our customers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority.”