Pigeons flying inside the cabin caused a strange and humorous delay on a Delta Air Lines flight from Madison to Minneapolis on Saturday. The birds delayed Delta Flight 2348, causing the plane to return to the gate twice before takeoff.
The flight, set to depart from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, returned to the gate shortly after passengers boarded when crew members spotted the first pigeon flying loose through the cabin. Ground staff promptly took the bird away, and the passengers cheered on the spontaneous rescue.
After the Airbus A220, which had 119 passengers and five crew, started taxiing once more, a second pigeon emerged unexpectedly. For the second time, the aircraft turned around and went back to the gate to safely divert the bird.
Pigeons on Board: An Unusual In-Flight Intrusion
Passenger Tom Caw chronicled the unusual chain of events on Instagram, sharing videos where one of his fellow passengers attempted to corral the bird using his jacket. “When I got on Delta Flight 2348 at MSP tonight, I heard another passenger inform a flight attendant that there was a pigeon on board,” Caw posted. “The pilot came on the intercom and verified a pigeon was on board, and stated he had no idea how to deal with this one.”
Following the second occurrence, Caw related, “It got caught, and we went back to the gate. The pilot said when he contacted the control tower that we were coming back because of a pigeons, the guy replied that it was the first time for him. Pilot informed him it was the second time for him—the first half an hour ago.”
FlightAware.com reports that the plane eventually took off and landed without incident at Madison’s Dane County Regional Airport. Delta Airlines later assured that the overall delay took 56 minutes.
In a report to ABC News, the airline explained, “Delta thanks the cautious actions of our team and our customers in safely clearing two birds from the plane before departure, and we regret inconveniencing our customers with the delay in their travel.”