The distraught passenger caught airport staff and passengers off guard with his emotional outcry.
Joao, who been travelling from a dog show in the Philippines with his five Papillon show spaniels, was on a layover at Istanbul Grand Airport. When his connecting flight to Switzerland was grounded the dog breeder said he wanted to check on his animals, which were still in transit.
Joao Paulo de Costa at a Kennel Club competition in the Philippines. Photo / Instagram; Joao Paulo de Costa
Joao and partner Gabriele had arranged to stay with friends in Turkey. One of the dogs was able to travel in the cabin but the remaining four had been checked into cargo for transit.
Asking the airline help desk if this was possible to see them, they said that the dogs would have to remain in quarantine during transit.
It was at this point he snapped.
The resulting explosion of rage was recorded by bystanders and quickly found viral fame on TikTok and 5 million views.
Joao later defended the tantrum in a video he published to his social media fan page.
“When I started asking about our dogs people started running away.
“I really went into despair and was taken over by a supernatural force,” he said.
Talking to Brazilian news site Globo, based in his home town of Santa Catarina, Joao said that not being able to locate the dogs sent him berserk.
“I said: ‘’I have four dogs in the hold on this flight. I want to know where they are. If my flight was cancelled, I want to see my dogs”
Airport police eventually intervened and he was allowed to check on the wellbeing of the animals, he said.
Joao travels the world with his partner Gabriele and five dogs competing at dog shows. His Instagram page for the pups has over 28 thousand followers and are regularly top performers at Kennel Club events.
The dog breeder told the Daily Mail that he was extremely attached to the animals due to his inability to have children.
He shared his own side of the confrontation with airport staff on his social media saying that it was a moment of “total desperation” after being told that the dogs would remain on the plane.
“I would do anything to protect them - they are my life, my world,” he says.
The moment he saw the spaniels he said he was able to recover himself and calm down.
