An airline passenger could face a $120,000 bill after fighter jets were scrambled when he joked about blowing up the plane

• Aditya Verma was going on vacation to Spain in July 2022 with friends on an easyJet flight.
• Per the BBC, he said on Snapchat: "On my way to blow up the plane (I'm a member of the Taliban)."

An airline passenger who prompted the Spanish air force to scramble fighter jets after he said he was going to blow up the plane he was on appeared Monday in court, the BBC reported.

Aditya Verma was 18 when he and his friends traveled with easyJet from London Gatwick Airport to the Spanish island of Menorca in July 2022.

The BBC reported that before departing, he told a friend on Snapchat: "On my way to blow up the plane (I'm a member of the Taliban)."

Security services saw the message and flagged it to Spanish authorities, who sent two F-18 jets to follow the airliner until it landed, per the BBC.

"The intention was never to cause public distress or cause public harm," Verma told the court.

He faces a public-disorder charge, which could result in him being ordered to pay over $120,000 if he's found guilty.

About $103,000 of that is from the Spanish Defense Ministry for the cost of scrambling the fighter jets.

According to The Telegraph, Verma told the court he first thought the jets were flanking the plane as part of a military exercise related to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Verma's lawyer told the court it was a "bad joke" but emphasized it was one made in private with friends.

"Aditya didn't put his message on Facebook or advertise it. What he did was the equivalent of making a joke inside a car with friends," she said, per the Telegraph.

"This boy was 18 years old and was beginning a holiday, which was a reward for his school excellence," she added. "When he and his friends landed in Menorca, they realized they were in a nightmare."