DGCA to probe bees delaying Pune flight

After a swarm of bees held up a Hyderabad-Pune flight last week for more than one hour, the country aviation regulator said it will investigate how a bee hive was allowed to flourish in the airport area.

The flight on July 26 was held up when the ATR 72 — a shorthaul aircraft — was besieged by bees. The flight, which was scheduled to take off at around 6.25pm, took off only at around 7.22pm after a repellent spray was used to clear the insects from the apron area.

A Directorate General of Civil Aviation official on Monday said, “We will look into the matter and necessary action will be taken.”

Air India spokesperson, Dhananjay Kumar, confirmed the incident and said taking safety as priority, the pilot took necessary precautions before taking off the flight. “The swarms of bees kept coming and settling on the wind screen of the cockpit, not allowing the pilot to push back,” he explained.

The incident took place when the flight was to line up for its scheduled take off. The Flight 9I 867 of Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, couldn’t push back when a group of bees surrounded the twin engine turboprop. Though the aircraft’s door was shut to stop bees from entering it, the pilot got in touch with the Air Traffic Control who informed the airport operator. The pilot had to then call for a spray in order to get rid of the bees.

Captain Mohan Ranganathan, aviation safety expert, said, “Bees do not pose a threat to the ATR but the engineers and other ground staff who play a major role before take-off would have found it impossible to perform their functions due to their presence.”