Kolkata: The honeybee menace continued to sting Kolkata airport. A swarm invaded three Jet Airways planes on Friday morning, the third such attack in less than a month.
Friday's siege lasted an hour, leaving airline and airport staff exasperated. The fire brigade had to be called in to drive the bees off.
The swarming happened in quick succession between 9.30am and 11am. The first plane to be affected was the Guwahati-bound 9W 619. Boarding was underway when the pilot noticed hundreds bees swoop in and settle on the aircraft nose close to the cockpit windshield. Within minutes, hundreds more joined in.
Alarmed, the pilot contacted airline staff who sought assistance from apron control. Two fire engines trained their cannons on the aircraft tip, setting the bees aflutter. The swarm regrouped, hung around and settled on the nose of another Jet Airways aircraft minutes later. This time, it was the 9W 2863 from Bhubaneswar. The firemen again hosed the plane's nose. The third invasion happened on the Ranchi-bound 9W 2856 flight that was waiting for passengers to board.
22/09/12 Times of India
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Friday's siege lasted an hour, leaving airline and airport staff exasperated. The fire brigade had to be called in to drive the bees off.
The swarming happened in quick succession between 9.30am and 11am. The first plane to be affected was the Guwahati-bound 9W 619. Boarding was underway when the pilot noticed hundreds bees swoop in and settle on the aircraft nose close to the cockpit windshield. Within minutes, hundreds more joined in.
Alarmed, the pilot contacted airline staff who sought assistance from apron control. Two fire engines trained their cannons on the aircraft tip, setting the bees aflutter. The swarm regrouped, hung around and settled on the nose of another Jet Airways aircraft minutes later. This time, it was the 9W 2863 from Bhubaneswar. The firemen again hosed the plane's nose. The third invasion happened on the Ranchi-bound 9W 2856 flight that was waiting for passengers to board.
22/09/12 Times of India
