passengers aboard an IndiGo flight from Surat to Jaipur were left bewildered after a massive swarm of bees disrupted the scheduled takeoff early Monday morning.
The bizarre incident delayed the flight by nearly an hour.
The drama unfolded around 4:20 a.m. as all passengers had boarded and luggage was secured. Suddenly, thousands of bees engulfed the aircraft’s luggage compartment door, bringing airport operations to a temporary halt. Initial attempts by ground staff to disperse the swarm using smoke failed. The fire brigade was then summoned to spray water on the hive-like cluster.
However, the water briefly intensified the chaos, attracting more bees and causing visible panic among personnel. After nearly an hour of coordinated efforts involving water and smoke, the insects finally dispersed, allowing the plane to take off at 5:26 a.m.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported among passengers or crew. Officials noted this was the first recorded bee-related incident at Surat Airport and assured that preventive measures would be reviewed. Notably, this isn’t the first time IndiGo has faced such airborne insect invasions—last July, a similar swarm delayed a Mumbai-Bareilly flight.
While the skies may be clear, the tarmac now has a new challenge: battling bees with boarding passes.
