A PASSENGER jet has been delayed overnight and ordered to be fumigated – after a traveller spotted a scorpion on board.
The drama unfolded in Paris this afternoon when a passenger on a flight from Glasgow told crew about the unwelcome stowaway.
EasyJet were left with little choice but to hold up the flight while they fumigated the aircraft in a bid to kill off the reported intruder.
Scores of passengers due to board the return flight to Glasgow were left stranded in the departure lounge at Charles de Gaulle.
The flight, which should have left for Scotland just after 2pm today, is now expected to take off tomorrow and passengers have been put up in hotels.
Travellers first learned about the drama from a cleaner.
Jimmy Smith, 62, from Drumchapel, Glasgow, was about to board the flight when he had a run in with the unlucky cleaner.
He said: “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.
“There were two girls who work for Air Canada too, and they were saying they’d heard it was a scorpion.
“I’ve no idea how it got on, they were saying something about people taking stuff through in glass containers to take somewhere else – and that’s how it got out.
“I’ve heard they can’t find it, so they don’t want to take the chance, and they might have to get another plane.
“They haven’t told us anything more.”
EasyJet later clarified that the alarm had been raised by a passenger.
A spokeswoman said: “EasyJet can confirm that a passenger reported to crew that a scorpion was onboard 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 this year, a passenger on a United Airlines flight from Houston to Calgary was allegedly stung by a scorpion which fell from an overhead bin and onto a man’s hair while he was eating his lunch.
