An Air Europa aircraft, preparing for takeoff on the runway at Loiu Airport, had to suspend its departure after a viral outbreak was detected among a group of children returning from their study trip to Lanzarote. Sources from Aena and Basque Health Emergency Services (Osakidetza) confirmed that the twelve children, aged between 11 and 12 and from the same school in the Canary Islands, received attention inside the aircraft and were subsequently transferred to various hospitals.
The alarm was raised at 2:15 PM. The Bilbao-Lanzarote flight was scheduled to depart at 1:35 PM. Some of the children had begun experiencing symptoms the previous day, including stomach pain. Once on board, several started feeling worse, experiencing vomiting and gastrointestinal distress. Given they belonged to the same school group and presented similar symptoms, and suspecting a viral outbreak, Osakidetza activated the protocol for Multiple Victim Incidents (IMV).
The flight was suspended, and the aircraft returned to the stand to facilitate care for those affected. In such cases, all necessary resources from the Osakidetza Emergency urgent transport network are mobilized. Additionally, reference hospitals, primarily Cruces and Basurto, which have Pediatric Emergency departments, were put on alert to organize patient distribution. One of the children, in the most critical condition, was treated on the plane and received intravenous fluids to prevent dehydration.
The minors were transported in six ambulances, each making two trips, to different hospitals for necessary medical assistance. The head of the Emergency on-call service also traveled to the terminal with a vehicle and medical equipment to coordinate the extensive operation. The accompanying adult chaperones showed no symptoms. A Guardia Civil vehicle guarded the aircraft while an operator in personal protective equipment ascended the stairs with a vacuum cleaner. The rear door remained open for ventilation. The departure of flight AEA7028 was progressively delayed, first to 4:50 PM, then to 5:15 PM. It has now been canceled, and the airline will rebook passengers on other flights.
The 12 children are from the same grade at a school in Lanzarote, celebrating their end-of-primary-school trip in the Basque Country. Public Health of the Basque Government will monitor the case to determine the origin of the outbreak or if it was a case of food poisoning.
