A flight at Charlotte Douglas International Airport was delayed after a swarm of bees gathered on one of the aircraft’s turbines, forcing crews to step in and remove them before takeoff.
Passengers onboard captured footage of the bees, with ground staff and beekeepers being brought in to safely deal with the situation. Staff wearing high-vis jackets could be seen in the footage removing the insects from the turbine and placing them in a wooden box.
The delay lasted around an hour before the plane was cleared to depart and later completed its journey without further issue.
Bees swarm plane engine forcing delay
The video, posted April 5 on YouTube by ABC7, shows thousands of bees clustered around the engine as staff worked to remove them.
According to UPI, the swarm had formed directly on the turbine, meaning crews could not proceed until it was safely cleared. A beekeeper was called in to handle the removal, with the bees transferred away from the aircraft.
The cause of the swarm remains unknown.
This is far from the first time a collective of the honey-making insects has interfered with daily business operations. In 2025, thousands of bees swarmed a Canadian beekeeper’s store in what was described by the owner as a “robbery attempt.”
