Bees delay flight at Saskatoon airport

An Ontario man is back home after a bizarre incident at the Saskatoon International Airport over the weekend.

Kitchener’s Jeremy Doorten said he and his son were in Saskatoon Sunday waiting to catch a flight to Edmonton when they were delayed by a swarm of bees.

He said it was hard to figure out at first why they weren’t being allowed to board the plane.

But eventually, Doorten said they were able to determine what the issue was as they watched the response unfold from behind the safety of the terminal windows.

“We looked out the window and sure enough, there were some big orange pylons that were completely caked and full of bees – and they were swarming all around the plane,” he said.

One airport employee was reportedly stung before a professional beekeper was called in.

“Ground crew couldn’t get anywhere near (the plane). So they had to get out a beekeeper that looked like he was right out of Back to the Future with his white outfit on,” Doorten said.

Doorten said it appeared the beekeper was able to coax the insects into a hive and then remove them from the area.

Overall, the flight was reportedly delayed by about an hour. Despite the lost time, Doorten said he and his son were just able to make their connecting flight in Edmonton.

— With files from Brent Bosker.