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‘Unprecedented’: Giant vulture delays takeoff after taking plane hostage

Nypost · · 459 words · By Ben Cost
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What to know about Aviation Safety

‘Unprecedented’: Giant vulture delays takeoff after taking plane hostage See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center67%
Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

‘Unprecedented’: Giant vulture delays takeoff after taking plane hostage See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google Was it looking for carrion luggage?

Common ground

A Ryanair flight out of Greece was delayed after an unexpected passenger — a giant flesh-eating vulture — landed on the aircraft and refused to budge.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/20/lifestyle/ryanair-flight-delayed-after-giant-vultu…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4
check_circle Corroborated 3
verified Verified By Reference 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: “A Ryanair flight out of Greece was delayed after an unexpected passenger — a giant flesh-eating vulture — landed on the aircraft and refused to budge.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources (Daily Star and another news report) confirm a Ryanair flight in Greece was delayed because a vulture landed on the aircraft.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (IATA: ATH, ICAO: LGAV), commonly initialised as AIA, is the largest international airport in Greece, serving the city of Athens and the region of At…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens_International_Airport
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — As of September 2026, Ryanair flies to a total of 232 destinations, including 5 domestic destinations within Ireland and 227 international destinations across Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle Ea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ryanair_destinations
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ryanair is an Irish ultra-low-cost airline headquartered in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. It is the largest airline in Europe by scheduled passengers carried, fleet size, and total flights. Globally…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryanair
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 2: “Common through Europe, griffon vultures are imposing-looking birds that can boast a wingspan of up to 9 feet across.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of Meta/Facebook customer support phone number information, which is completely irrelevant to the biology of griffon vultures.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Meta, including Meta Company Products like Meta Horizon, Quest, Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and Meta for Work, doesn’t have a general public phone number available for customer service. P…
https://www.meta.com/help/policies/23938634512490588/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Meta, including Meta Company Products such as Meta Horizon, Quest, Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and Meta for Work, doesn't have a general public phone number available for customer service…
https://www.meta.com/en-gb/help/policies/23938634512490588/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 4, 2024 · Does anybody have a phone number that I can talk to a real person at Meta? I’m looking for a phone number that I can talk to a person at Meta instead of texting emailing him voicemail. T…
https://www.reddit.com/r/facebookdisabledme/comments/1d83xqh…
info
Claim 3: “Despite attempts by the pilots to scare it off by activating the tail flaps, the bird of prey remained still, forcing them to postpone the departure”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results about 'Flappy Bird' and unrelated plane crashes in Miami and Dubai. No evidence confirms the pilots' attempt to use tail flaps.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Play Flappy Bird online for free — no download, no signup. Tap to flap, dodge the pipes, and climb the global daily and all-time leaderboards.
https://flappybird.io/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The plane touched down awkwardly, briefly attempted to take off and then smashed into a van carrying the five victims.Strong winds at the airport as storms moved in may have created a tail wind that h…
https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2026/Sep/10/a-pilot-o…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Departures from Dubai Airport; View real-time flight departure information, delays, cancelations, and current weather conditions at DXB.
https://dubai-dxb-airport.com/flights/departures/
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Claim 4: “Responding firefighter Antonis Petrakis labeled the ordeal “unprecedented””
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources explicitly quote firefighter Antonis Petrakis describing the incident as 'unprecedented'.
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web search NEUTRAL — Responding firefighter Antonis Petrakis labeled the ordeal “unprecedented” and recalled how the bird remained “completely calm” despite its unusual predicament.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/20/lifestyle/ryanair-flight-delay…
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web search NEUTRAL — Firefighter Antonis Petrakis told Greek media about the problem, calling it an "unprecedented incident", adding that the bird was "completely calm" in spite of its precarious location. The vulture pic…
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/ryanair-flight-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The photo, published by Antonis Petrakis, shows a member of the Heraklion Airport Fire Department holding a griffon vulture on his arm."An unprecedented incident," Petrakis later told Greek media. "Th…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/vulture-perched-…
verified
Claim 5: “In 2024, a Brazilian pilot was literally flipped the bird after a vulture crashed through his cockpit window and dangled lifelessly in front of him for the remainder of the flight.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence consists of general Wikipedia entries about Brazil and the Brazilian currency. There is no evidence provided regarding a vulture crashing through a cockpit window in 2024.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is also the world's fifth-largest country by area and the seventh-largest by population, with over 214…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brazilian commonly refers to: Brazil, a country Brazilians, its people Brazilian Portuguese, its dialect Brazilian may also refer to: "The Brazilian", a 1986 instrumental music piece by Genesis Braz…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brazilian cruzeiro refers to any of four distinct Brazilian currencies: Brazilian cruzeiro (1942–1967), worth 1000 Brazilian réis. Brazilian cruzeiro (1967–1986), denominated cruzeiro novo between 19…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_cruzeiro
help
Claim 6: “Crete is home to one of the world’s largest populations of these carrion-eaters”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching.
info
Claim 7: “Eventually the carcass-scrounging squatter decided to soar from the wing to the runway on its own accord, whereupon the fire brigade removed it”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim is entirely irrelevant, discussing British fighters, National Geographic vulture migrations, and a LaGuardia crash.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Bolt a Hurricane to a rocket-powered catapult on a cargo ship and launch it into the sky — knowing there was no runway to return to. The pilot would bail out over the freezing Atlantic and hope someon…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmBfN5jH7S8
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The National Geographic Society grantee has started to pull back the curtain on this fascinating bird. She recently discovered that a single vulture flew more than 1,100 miles from its birthplace in T…
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/animals-v…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The plane, which originated in Montreal, was carrying 76 people, including the crew, when it slammed into the fire truck that had driven out onto the runway. Seconds before the collision, an air traff…
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/national/2026/03/25/mang…
verified
Claim 8: “A Facebook post shared by a local page shows pictures of the unusual saga, from the moment the raptor landed on the wing to Petrakis holding the coat-swaddled critter at the station post-rescue.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence consists of generic Facebook login help pages and unrelated Wikipedia entries about Greek football and TV series. No evidence of the specific Facebook post is present.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Agia Paraskevi (Greek: Αγία Παρασκευή), commonly referred to as Santa, is the Greek women's association football department of Agia Paraskevi F.C. and competes in the Greek A Division.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agia_Paraskevi_W.F.C.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jonathan Coyne (born 3 February 1958) is an Cypriot-born British actor known for playing Warden Edwin James on Fox's short-lived series, Alcatraz (2012). He also appeared as Dr. Lydgate in Once Upon a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonny_Coyne
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — To Nisi (Greek: Το Νησί; English: The Island) is a Greek television series based on the best-selling English novel The Island by Victoria Hislop, airing on Mega Channel. The series premiered on 11 Oct…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Nisi
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 9: “Firefighters subsequently responded to the scene, but the buzzard declined to move even after getting prodded by brigade members equipped with a ladder.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one relevant source mentions a vulture being removed from a wing in Crete to avoid damage, but it does not specifically detail the use of a ladder by firefighters to prod the bird; other results about ladders refer to an Amazon plane crash in Miami.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — September evenings can bring dramatic bird activity across Florida skies. Find out what these flocks are doing and what attracts them.
https://positivebloom.com/the-strange-birds-you-may-see-swar…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Firefighters used a ladder to get into the cockpit of an Amazon cargo plane after it careened off a runway and smashed into cars on a busy road. The plane crash at Miami International Airport left fiv…
https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/firefighters-use-ladd…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A vulture who refused to budge had to be removed from the wing of a flight awaiting takeoff on the Greek island of Crete, in order to avoid potential damage to the plane, a local newspaper reported Mo…
https://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5307932-stubborn-vultur…
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Claim 10: “The plane had reportedly been prepping to depart Crete on August 16, when the super-sized scavenger alighted on the tail fin”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm the event took place in Crete; one specifically mentions the date August 16 and the tail fin, while another mentions Heraklion Airport.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Myron of Crete, called Saint Myron the Wonder Worker (Greek: Άγιος Μύρων ο Θαυματουργός), was a bishop from Rhaukos, Crete who became archbishop of Crete. He is said to have been born in Aurakia, near…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myron_of_Crete
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Battle of Crete (German: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, Greek: Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (German: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during Wo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Crete
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Crete ( KREET) is the largest and most populous island of Greece, the 89th largest island in the world, and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crete
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.