MANILA, MAY 21, 2011 (STAR) By Rudy Santos - A swarm of bees descended on the south boarding gates of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport's Terminal 2, delaying the arrival of five Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights at about noon yesterday.
The bees entered the passenger tubes and prevented the airport operator from connecting the tube to arriving planes, forcing passengers to use the metal stairs after the plane was forced to park on the tarmac.
No one was reported stung by the bees.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) immediately fielded several buses to ferry the passengers from the tarmac to the terminal.
PAL vice president for corporate affairs Joey de Guzman said the affected flights included PR176 from Tagbilaran, Leyte berthed at Bay 35.
"The passengers were unable to disembark due to a swarm of bees inside the boarding gate tube," De Guzman said.
Other flights affected were PR392, also from Tacloban, scheduled to berth at Bay 32 after arriving at 12:45 p.m.; PR227 from Laoag on parking Bay 33, after arriving at 12:49 p.m.; and PR184 from Cagayan de Oro on Bay 36 after arriving at 12:35 p.m.
He said PAL Station Control called up the NAIA Airport Ground Operations Department (AGOD) for assistance since bees were scattered around the boarding gate tube.
De Guzman said AGOD personnel immediately fumigated the affected areas and stopped the operations of boarding gates in Bay 32 to 38 at 1:30 p.m.
He said AGOD also tried to get rid of the bees by using vacuum cleaners inside the boarding gate tubes.
MIAA general manager Jose Honrado said initial investigation showed that a passenger had brought the concealed honeybees into the plane.
The bees escaped and that started the trouble, he said.
He added that officials were determining the identity of the passenger who brought the bees since it is illegal to bring live animals into an airplane.
NAIA Terminal 2 gates cleared of bees By Rudy Santos (The Philippine Star) Updated May 21, 2011 12:00 AMComments (0)
[A quarantine officer at NAIA uses a vacuum cleaner to eliminate bees that suddenly swarmed around control panels or aerobridges. RUDY SANTOS]
Manila, Philippines - Equipped with vacuum cleaners, maintenance personnel of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) yesterday cleared eight boarding gates of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 after a swarm of bees descended on them last Thursday.
Five PAL flights were delayed because of the incident, as the bees entered the passenger tubes, preventing the airport operator from connecting the tube to arriving planes.
Initial investigation showed that a passenger had brought the concealed honeybees into the plane.
But Dr. Simeon Amurao, quarantine doctor at the NAIA, said "the bees, like every creature, are searching for a cooler place to stay, especially during the summer season."
University of the Philippines professor Dr. Cleopas Cervancia, an expert on bees, echoed the statement of Amurao.
In a telephone interview with The STAR, Cervancia said that the swarm of bees coming from nearby cities normally make a "stopover" at a cooler place such as the airport.
Cervancia added that the bees do not stay long in the cooler place, and only hang around for three days, then will look again for another place to reside.
"We are even lucky because it is an indication that the place (NAIA) is clean and not yet polluted that's why the bees are there," Cervancia said.
PAL vice president for corporate affairs Joey de Guzman said that the flights affected by the incident last Thursday included PR 176 from Tagbilaran, PR 392 from Tacloban, PR 227 from Laoag and PR 184 from Cagayan de Oro.
Several buses were fielded to ferry the passengers from the tarmac to the terminal.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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