A passenger jet has been delayed overnight so it can be fumigated after a scorpion was spotted on board.
The easyJet flight from Paris to Glasgow was postponed after a passenger noticed the arachnid on the preceding flight and alerted staff. The plane is being held at Charles de Gaulle airport before its rescheduled departure on Tuesday.
Passengers waiting to fly to Glasgow from the French capital received a message about the delay on the easyJet app: “We were hoping that we would be able to continue with your flight today but we were informed that a scorpion was sighted on board your plane,” adding that the aircraft needed to be fumigated.
Graham Mckinnon, who was meant to fly from Paris to Glasgow on Monday, told the Guardian: "We only found out about everything through the easyJet app. At first it was delayed until 4pm, then 7pm, 8pm.
“[I] overheard someone at the desk ask what was happening, and they were told the plane was needing a clean. Then heard it was a broken chair, before the app released a picture stating it was in fact a scorpion that had been found.”
A statement on EasyJet’s website said passengers are being offered overnight accommodation in hotels.
“A scorpion ran over the seats”
Jimmy Smith, another passenger, told the Daily Record: "We were about to board, and as we were at the bottom of the gate a cleaner came out and said she saw a scorpion run up the inside of the plane, over the seats and back down again.
“We were meant to board at 2pm, and this was about five minutes before, and now there’s been a delay. They’re being quiet about it now, but as we were passing a guy who was taking boarding passes I heard him say there was a scorpion.
The airline has now clarified that a passenger spotted the problem on the flight from Glasgow to Paris. It said: “We can confirm that a passenger reported to crew that a scorpion was on board flight EZY6883 from Glasgow to Paris Charles de Gaulle. The safety and comfort of our passengers and crew is always our highest priority so, as a precaution, the aircraft will be fumigated before its next flight, EZY6884 to Glasgow, which is delayed overnight as a result.
“Although this is outside of our control, we would like apologise for any inconvenience to passengers.”
In April a Canadian man said he was stung by a scorpion while travelling on a United Airlines flight from Houston, Texas, to Calgary, in Canada.
© Guardian