A British Airways flight to Milan was delayed after a passenger worried about Italy's coronavirus outbreak refused to fly at the last minute.
The Airbus A319 had pulled back from its gate when the traveller changed his or her mind just moments before it was due to take off from London Heathrow Airport.
The plane returned to the terminal so the passenger could disembark, delaying the departure to Italy, where the virus has rapidly spread in two northern regions, by about 15 minutes.
It was claimed that up to three passengers didn't want to fly to Milan due to their coronavirus fears, but it is understood that only one got off the aircraft.
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A BA spokeswoman said: "As with all our customers, we will always respect their wishes if they change their mind about flying at the last minute.
"The flight left within a few minutes of its scheduled departure time."
NBC News journalist Molly Hunter, who was on the plane, tweeted: "At #Heathrow, our BA #Milan flight is delayed - the captain just announced there are passengers (I count 3) on board who don’t want to travel due to #coronavirus.
"Already pushed back... now re-attaching."
It is understood that the plane had only just disconnected from the jet bridge and had not yet reached the taxiway to the runway.
No-one on board was showing any symptoms of the flu-like virus.
Italy reported its fourth coronavirus death on Monday as the government struggled to contain an outbreak in the north of the country.
More than 200 people have tested positive since Friday.
Most of the cases are in the wealthy northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto.
Almost a dozen towns in Lombardy, south-east of Milan, have been locked down, trapping almost 50,000 people.
In the worst-hit areas, authorities have shut schools, universities, museums and cinemas, and banned public gatherings.
Venice's Carnival - where revellers had been seen wearing masks as a precaution - was forced to cancel events and end early.
Lombardy announced 53 new cases overnight, bringing the total there to 165 in just four days.
Some 22 people had the virus in Veneto, while a handful of infections were also recorded in the adjacent regions of Piedmont and Emilia Romagna.
The fourth person to die of the virus came from Lombardy, officials said.
He was an 84-year-old man who had been in hospital for treatment for an unrelated illness when he was struck down by the disease.
The three other people who have died of the illness were also elderly and at least two of them had serious underlying health problems.
