Turtle hurdle holds up Jetstar flight

A TINY turtle has brought the Gold Coast’s busiest transport hubs to a halt as it attempted to cross the runway.

According to the Gold Coast Airport, wet weather has brought out more than just the brollies and gumboots, with a small creature halting a major airline.

A keen Jetstar pilot on Wednesday brought his 78tonne Airbus A320 aircraft to a stop as it was taxiing towards the runway, after he spotted a turtle on the tarmac.

The flight, which was about to take off, was halted for a few minutes as an aerodrome reporting officer was called to locate the stray reptile and move it out of harm’s way.

Passengers reportedly had a chuckle about the cause of the delay.

It was the second time that day a turtle was spotted in the area, with an Air New Zealand aircraft paused in the morning while another turtle was relocated. Gold Coast Airport general manager operations and service delivery Brett Curtis said wildlife management was a key focus at the airport.

“An important part of the job of our airside operations team is to monitor the airfield and ensure it is free and clear at all times. That includes any stray wildlife,” he said.

“While our specialist safety officers are onsite 24/7 and are continually inspecting the runway and surrounding areas, sometimes a stray animal or bird does make its way into the area. In this case, we were able to locate the turtle and relocate him to a safer area.

“We were pleased to hear our curious friend was relocated to safer territory.”

Wildlife management measures at the airport include inspections of the runway and surrounding areas an average of five times per day, monthly wildlife surveys and risk assessments, and wildlife hazard training for staff.

It is not the first time such incidents have occurred at the airport, with a stray echidna bringing some excitement to the airfield last year, however, birds require the greatest amount of wildlife control.