You’ve heard of snakes on an airplane, but what about bees on an airplane wing?
Passengers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston were ready to board Delta Flight 1682 Wednesday afternoon when they were told the plane already had a busy group of passengers. A swarm of bees had become attached to the wing of the A320 plane that was to take them to Atlanta.
Passenger Robert Earl Glenn II shared a picture of the bee congregation, showing almost the entire wing covered in insects.
Glenn and other travelers were not allowed to board the plane while the bees were on board.
In a playful statement, Delta Air Lines said the «friendly group of bees evidently wanted to talk business with the winglet» of the plane, «no doubt to share the latest on flight conditions at the airport.»
The airline also apologized to customers, explaining that the delay was necessary.
«Observing the well-being of the bees congregated on the wing of our aircraft yesterday, as well as to ensure that no surfaces on our aircraft were contaminated during departure, this flight had to be delayed,» the airline said.
The bees finally broke free from the plane after airport employees performed a pushback using ground safety equipment, according to Delta. Other «safe actions were not successful,» the airline added.
The flight, originally scheduled to take off at 12:25 p.m. CT, left the Houston airport four hours and 29 minutes late at 4:54 p.m. CT, according to FlightAware.com.
The flight touched down in Atlanta at 7:41 p.m. ET.
According to Delta, bee swarming on an airplane «is rare but not unheard of» and can occur on any outdoor structure where the insects are found in the wild.