Passengers on a flight headed through Mexico suffered an unusual delay after swarm of mosquitoes infiltrated their plane.
via People:
A Volaris flight traveling from Guadalajara to Mexico City on Friday was delayed over two hours due to a mosquito infestation, according to local publication El Sol de Léon and WABC-TV.
A video captured by a passenger on the flight, and obtained by USA Today, showed flight attendants walking up and down the airplane aisle spraying bug repellant in the air. Passengers could be seen swatting at the bugs with their hands and waving the mist from the repellant away as they sat down in their seats.
However, it appeared that the spray wasn’t effective, as El Sol de Léon reported that the bug repellent only agitated the mosquitoes more. Passengers also told USA Today the mosquitoes did not stop buzzing around until the lights inside the airplane were turned off.
The flight data for VOI221, which was set to take off from the Mexican state of Jalisco, showed that the flight was scheduled to depart at around 4:30 p.m., but it did not take off until nearly 7 p.m., per WABC-TV.
Volaris did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
This wasn’t the first time that an airline cabin crew and passengers have had to fight off swarms of mosquitoes while trying to depart Guadalajara Airport. According to El Sol de Léon, previous passengers have reported on social media that they’d boarded planes that were infested with mosquitoes.
One passenger shared a video in 2019 on X, formerly known as Twitter, of mosquitoes flying around his flight as he was departing the same airport. The small creatures could be seen buzzing around as passengers tried to swat them. A flight attendant could also be heard giving a message on board.
The passenger noted that the airline’s response was that the situation was beyond their control and that the mosquitoes were likely present due to the amount of stagnant water surrounding the plane.
El Sol de Léon reported that the airport is located near an area with frequent flooding, abundant vegetation and bodies of water that are contaminated, drawing in mosquitoes. It also noted that mosquitoes in the area often have to do with weather conditions.
The airport has said, according to the publication, that while it cannot control the mosquito problem, it has taken measures to reduce the issue by pruning the grass and spraying the areas with larvicides, a type of insecticide used to control mosquito populations both inside and outside.
That sounds like a complete nightmare!
