PASSENGERS on board an easyJet flight had to rub their eyes in disbelief after their plane was held up in Majorca by a flamingo.
The aircraft had to follow the bird as it ambled slowly along the tarmac of Palma airport, completely oblivious to the stir it was causing.
The easyJet plane had only just arrived on the holiday island and was taxiing to its bay when the alert was raised about the flamingo just yards away.
While ground staff contacted pilots, the bird simply kept pace with the aircraft, at one stage deciding to fly off itself but then changing its mind.
One of the workers said: “We have a pink flamingo and it’s not a joke, walking around Terminal A. An easyJet plane has had to slow down.”
According to the airport, the flamingo caused no problems or damage, but birds at airports can be a real threat and numerous methods are used to control them.
Spanish air traffic controllers tweeted: “A flamingo received passengers arriving at Palma airport this morning. Very elegant, walking on the tarmac…”
Footage of the incident has gone viral via Whatsapp and the social network.
One follower said: “It’s like a scene from Madagascar 4.”
The flamingo is a frequent winter visitor to Majorca, arriving in late summer and normally departing by April.
A flight was previously forced to make an emergency landing after a bird strike caused the engine to burst into flames.
Copa Airlines was forced to return to the airport in Panama after the plane caught on fire.
No-one was injured and the passengers were put on another flight two and a half hours later.
