Flight delayed at International Airport after pilot stops plane to let alligator cross taxiway

Flights delayed at the Charleston International Airport when an alligator crossed a taxiway on the runway caused the pilot to stop the aircraft.

Image Source: Twitter

An unusual incident took place at South Carolina’s busiest airport last weekend. An alligator was spotted walking around the runway at the Charleston international airport causing a brief delay in flight operations. Passengers could see the alligator from the window of their aircraft. The alligator crossed the path of the flights which were scheduled to take off at around 7 pm from the airport. The photographs of the unusual incident have surfaced widely on various social media platforms leaving netizens astonished. The comments section was soon taken over by the netizens. 

As per media reports from WCBD-TV, the airport officials did not try to relocate the alligator to resume services. The airport officials instead allowed the alligator to continue walking freely over the taxiway, and aircraft of various airlines waited patiently to resume flight operations. 

Flight delayed at Charleston Airport after an alligator crossed the taxiway https://t.co/2Zu9hvCK2S

— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) August 31, 2022

A Delta airline flight was one such flight that waited to take off. The Delta airline pilot made an in-flight announcement about the alligator-induced delay, which made passengers aware of the incident. 

A similar incident took place at the US Navy airbase a few months ago where a crocodile was caught sunbathing on the runway and even after multiple efforts to remove it, the airport officials failed. As a result, later on, wildlife officials were called for assistance to rescue and remove the reptile. The area around the Charleston International airport is home to many reptiles and hence, leads to such unusual incidents.