Police have appealed for help locating two men who escaped from Malta International Airport on New Year's Day.

The two men, both Moroccan nationals, were among four to jump down from the plane they arrived on after it was diverted to Malta due to a medical emergency.

The men evaded Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) personnel and escaped the airport on foot by vaulting the perimeter fence. Two were captuered but two remain at large.

Turkish Airlines flight TK619 was diverted from its flight to Marrakesh from Istanbul after a passenger reported feeling unwell as the aircraft approached Sicily. 

The plane landed at around midday Wednesday, with emergency vehicles, AFM personnel and immigration officials attending the scene shortly after.

While preparations were underway to disembark the sick passenger, four Moroccan nationals snuck towards the rear of the plane, opened the door and jumped off the plane, immediately sprinting towards an area under construction as part of the airport’s terminal expansion project.

Sources told Times of Malta that AFM officials chased after them as soon as they spotted the runaways who, by then, had an 11-second head start.

Airport CCTV footage showed the four men leaving the premises by jumping over the perimeter fence, the airport confirmed on Thursday.

In a statement, the police said two of the runaways aged 28 and 34 years old and the allegedly sick 28-year-old Moroccan man had been returned to their country and issued with travel bans preventing them from returning to Malta or the Schengen area.

Anyone with information about the two runaways can call the police headquarters on +356 2122 4001 / 119 or report a sighting at the nearest police station quoting the number 1/2025.