A Pegasus Airlines flight from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) bound for King Khalid International Airport (RUH) had to make an emergency diversion mid-flight after cries for help were heard coming from the cargo hold.
Flight PC690 departed Istanbul at 21:37 local time on January 27, 2024. Shortly after takeoff, it was reported that a voice shouting, “Help me!” could be heard from the cargo hold of the A321neo.
Fearing that it could be a baggage handler accidentally trapped inside the cargo hold with no heater and low oxygen, the flight crew decided to divert the flight to Antalya Airport (AYT), approximately 460 kilometers from SAW airport.
The flight landed at Antalya safely, and the cargo was immediately searched for the presumably trapped person.
A passenger who was on the flight managed to take video footage of airport crew from Antalya removing bags from the aircraft cargo in search for the person.
However, nobody was found after a thorough search was conducted, and there was no trace that anyone had been in the cargo hold.
The plane was eventually cleared to take off and it proceeded to fly to Riyadh. It arrived in Riyadh at around 05:30 local time the following day, almost four hours later than scheduled.