Bees invade Indigo plane in Surat, forcing fire brigade response

A swarm of bees caused a rare and unexpected delay at Surat Airport on Monday evening, grounding an Indigo flight and disrupting travel plans for dozens of passengers.

Flight 6E-7285, scheduled to depart for Jaipur at 4:20pm, was delayed by nearly an hour after thousands of bees surrounded the aircraft's baggage door.

The incident unfolded shortly after passengers had boarded and luggage was being loaded. Airport staff were caught off guard as the bees began clustering in large numbers around the rear cargo area of the aircraft.

“We’ve never seen anything like this at Surat Airport,” said a member of the ground crew. “It was unsettling, especially with passengers already seated on the plane.”

Initial efforts to remove the bees using smoke and water proved ineffective. As the swarm grew thicker, airport authorities called in the fire brigade for assistance. Firefighters eventually managed to disperse the bees using specialised spraying equipment after multiple attempts.

“The smoke didn’t work at first. Only after we used a continuous water spray did they begin to scatter,” said a fire brigade official involved in the operation.

After the swarm was cleared, the aircraft finally departed at 5:26pm. Though passengers remained uneasy during the unexpected delay, no injuries or further complications were reported.

This marks the first known bee-related disruption at Surat Airport. In the wake of the incident, airport officials say they will review pest control protocols and explore new preventive measures to avoid similar events in the future.