A British Airways flight in September was stranded in Rio de Janeiro for 24 hours due to some crew members reportedly being too traumatised to work after becoming victims of an armed robbery.

According to The Independent, BA248 flight to Heathrow Airport was delayed for 24 hours by the staff who weren’t on shift the next day.

After a thorough investigation by Brazilian police, the unnamed British crew members have been accused of lying about their ordeal due to inconsistencies in their stories.

Police said they made up the elaborate plot to save their jobs after allegedly going on an alcohol and drugs bender.

One of the accusations is that the group went to an abandoned petrol station to do drugs.

“After field investigation and intelligence work, data crossing and image analysis, the Special Tourism Support Delegation (Deat) found that three flight attendants from an English company, who reported having been robbed in September this year lied in their testimony when recording the incident,” the Civil Police of the State of Rio de Janeiro told The Independent.

The Deat further added that of all the crimes reported, only one happened which was the theft of a cellphone.

CCTV footage also suggested that the cabin crew were still on a night out in Rio at about 4:50am, The Sun reported.

The accused are now being investigated for falsely reporting a crime.

When asked for comment, British Airways told the publication that it “is a matter for the police” and that those involved “were not scheduled” for the September 6 flight.

IOL Travel