18 October 2023 , 10:54
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EasyJet passengers claim they were stuck waiting for five hours after a pilot was bitten by a mosquito.
One of the airline's services from Amsterdam to Manchester got stuck on the tarmac after the aviator was targeted by one of the notorious blood suckers. It came after the Airbus A320 was reportedly invaded by a swarm of bugs.
Before passengers were allowed to board the plane had to be deep cleaned, in line with the pilot's wishes, The Sun reported. Among those who found themselves delayed was Rachel Green, a veterinary nurse. She told the publication: "The departure time on the board kept going up and up. Eventually, the pilot came out and told us that he’d been bitten by a mosquito in the cockpit, so he wanted the entire plane deep-cleaned in case there were more bugs."
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Passengers say they were only told that the delay had been caused by a technical issue. Rachel, 27, alleged that the only compensation customers got was a £3.90 food voucher. When asked about the incident, easyJet said: “Safety and well-being of passengers and crew is our highest priority.” The airline has been contacted for further comment.
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The incident is far from the only one in which insects have caused the grounding of a plane. Earlier this year an aircraft was delayed when a swarm of bees stopped passengers from boarding. The Delta Air Lines flight got stuck on the runway at Houston due to the un-ticketed passengers.
The yellow and black striped bugs decided to latch onto the aircraft's wing at the Bush Intercontinental Airport. Twitter user Anjali Enjeti explained how travellers had been locked out of the cabin by the bees. "My flight leaving Houston is delayed because bees have congregated on the tip of one of the wings," she wrote.
"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?" The captain reportedly told passengers that there were a number of issues stopping the bees from being cleared; for example, a bee keeper was not allowed the touch the plane while a pest control expert was forbidden from spraying the craft.
The airport was also unable to spray the plane with water for safety reasons. The problem was resolved at around 2.30pm when the plane was moved to make way for another aircraft, prompting the bees to buzz off. The flight was delayed by nearly three hours before the bees were removed, Delta said.
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