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Delta Air Lines flight delayed after pigeons found onboard

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Delta Air Lines flight delayed after pigeons found onboard
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Delta Air Lines | Official Website

A Delta Air Lines flight faced a delay due to an unusual incident involving two pigeons found onboard before departure. The flight, identified as DL2348, was scheduled to travel from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to Madison Dane County Regional Airport on May 24. The aircraft had to return to the gate twice after the birds were discovered at different times.

The service was operated by an Airbus A220-300 with 119 passengers and five crew members. According to Flightradar24, the flight was supposed to depart Minneapolis at 22:20 and arrive in Madison at 23:21 local time. However, it only took off at 23:21 and landed at 00:15, nearly an hour late.

NBC News reported that a passenger saw the first pigeon before departure, prompting the pilot to announce its presence and return to the gate. As the plane prepared for takeoff again, another pigeon appeared, flying down the aisle. A video shared on Instagram shows a passenger attempting to catch the bird amid screams from others onboard.

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Delta Air Lines issued a statement saying, “Delta appreciates the careful actions of our people and our customers to safely remove two birds from the aircraft prior to departure, and we apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel.”

The pigeons were safely removed without any injuries reported. The second bird was taken out by a baggage handler while still alive.

Flight DL2348 marked its first journey of that day after being grounded for over 24 hours since its last operation from Houston to Minneapolis. Delta offers several flights between these two cities daily, with DL2348 being one of up to four daily flights on this route.

Birds pose risks in aviation due to potential bird strikes that can cause significant damage or crashes when they are outside an aircraft. Fortunately, in this case, both pigeons were inside the cabin where they could be managed more easily.

Delta's pet travel policy allows small dogs, cats, and household birds onboard under specific conditions within domestic US flights. These pets must fit in soft-sided kennels placed under seats during travel.

Incidents involving animals are not uncommon; previous cases include live mice found mid-flight or snakes appearing post-landing on different airlines' planes.

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