24 Feb, 2025 @ 16:47
1 min read

Mid-air emergency in Spain: Iberia pilot with a spider allergy is bitten by a tarantula

A FLIGHT was fumigated in Madrid after the pilot was bitten by a rogue spider, causing delays to onward journeys.

The pilot was allergic to the critter and the flight was grounded to treat him with anti-inflammatory medicine. 

It touched down in Madrid where it was fumigated before its next journey to Vigo, northern Spain.

Despite this, worried passengers got on the flight nervously checking their seats for other creepy crawlies.

The Iberia Airbus A320 was flying from Dusseldorf, Germany to the Spanish capital. 

It is thought the spider got on the plane during a stopover in the Moroccan city of Casablanca earlier that week. 

An adventurous insect, the spider had touched down in Brussels, Zurich and Toulouse before making its appearance. 

The pilot was reportedly treated with Urbason, the brand name for Methylprednisolone, a medication widely used to treat inflammatory diseases and allergic reactions. 

He reportedly suffered no lasting health effects from the incident. 

Last year, a plane was grounded over five days after more than 130 hamsters escaped their cages while in the hold. 

They were reportedly part of a pet shop delivery to the Azores archipelago capital, Ponta Delgada. 

The havoc caused by the furballs led to extensive damage and prevented the plane from returning to Lisbon, where it had begun its journey.

Yzabelle Bostyn

Yzabelle Bostyn is an NCTJ trained journalist who started her journalistic career at the Olive Press in 2023.
Before moving to Spain, she studied for a BA in English Literature and Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield.
After graduating she moved to the university’s journalism department, one of the best in the UK.
Throughout the past few years, she has taken on many roles including social media marketing, copywriting and radio presenting.
She then took a year out to travel Latin America, scaling volcanoes in Guatemala and swimming with sharks in Belize.
Then, she came to the Olive Press last year where she has honed her travel writing skills and reported on many fantastic experiences such as the Al Andalus luxury train.
She has also undertaken many investigations, looking into complex issues like Spain’s rental crisis and rising cancer rates.
Always willing to help, she has exposed many frauds and scams, working alongside victims to achieve justice.
She is most proud of her work on Nolotil, a drug linked to the deaths of many Brits in Spain.
A campaign launched by Yzabelle has received considerable support and her coverage has been by the UK and Spanish media alike.
Her writing has featured on many UK news outlets from the Sun to the Mail Online, who contracted her to report for them in Tenerife on growing tourism issues.
Recently, she has appeared on Times Radio covering deadly flooding in Valencia.

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