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This one stings for a bunch of Delta Air Lines passenbers. Their flight today from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) was delayed four and a half hours — after bees swarmed the aircraft.
According to a Delta source, DL1682 arrived at IAH from ATL just before 11:00 CDT — and was greeted by bees who swarmed the Airbus A320-212’s left winglet. (For the AvGeeks wondering: the plane’s registration is N399NW, as per FlightRadar24.)
But the bees weren’t going anywhere — and drastically delayed the 12:25 PM return flight to Atlanta.
Author Anjali Enjeti live-tweeted the entire ordeal — complete with pictures!
My flight leaving Houston is delayed because bees have congregated on the tip of one of the wings. They won’t let us board until they remove the bees. But how on earth will this happen? Won’t they leave the wing when we take off? pic.twitter.com/DhodBz0m5n
— Anjali Enjeti (she/her) (@AnjaliEnjeti) May 3, 2023
Ms. Enjeti wrote that a beekeeper was called — but not allowed to touch the plane. Pest control couldn’t spray anything on the winglet.
The “airport does not have hose to spray them off with water!” Seriously, IAH? What’s the story there? And the fire department “can’t come — can’t understand reason why.”
After several hours, it was apparently decided that the gate needed to be given to another flight. That’s when, she wrote, the plane fired up its engines and the bees buzzed off.
Omg y’all. Entire the flight crew deplaned. Delta decided to give our gate to another flight. As soon as our plane’s engine turned on, THE BEES LEFT!!! All Delta had to do was TURN ON THE PLANE pic.twitter.com/gILlJ8EMZg
— Anjali Enjeti (she/her) (@AnjaliEnjeti) May 3, 2023
Indeed, our Delta source confirmed that the bees winged off the winglet while the plane was pushed off the gate. (This person also added it’s not likely the engines were turned on.)
According to FlightAware, DL1682 took off at 5:03 PM — just a tad later than it’s original scheduled 12:35 PM wheels-up time.
But it sounds like no people or bees were harmed.
Bee careful out there, everyone!
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I usually rate all of my Delta flights as an A+, but with this delay, I definitely am rating it a “B”. 🙂
Nicely done, Ryan!
An honest question…
Why are bees a problem?
Is this an environmental issue or something technical?
I was fascinated to read your article about the recent Delta flight that was delayed due to a swarm of bees in Houston. It’s not every day that we hear about bees causing such a disruption at an airport, and I can only imagine how surprised and inconvenienced the passengers and crew must have felt.
It’s great to hear that Delta took quick action to address the situation and that the bees were safely removed without any harm to them or the humans involved. As you pointed out, it’s important to remember the crucial role that bees play in our ecosystem, and it’s heartening to see that more and more people are recognizing the value of protecting these vital pollinators.
Thank you for sharing this story and raising awareness about the importance of bee conservation. I look forward to reading more of your articles in the future.