Smelly Pigs Force Pilots to Divert KLM Flight to Bermuda
A KLM passenger flight carrying 100 pigs in the cargo hold was forced to divert to Bermuda after the pilots reported that the smell had infiltrated into the cockpit.
Smelly pigs in the cargo hold
The unusual flight diversion occurred yesterday (13 December) when the pilots of KLM flight 685, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, complained about the smell from the pigs in the cargo hold.
The flight was en route across the Atlantic Ocean from Amsterdam to Mexico City when the pilots first noticed the foul smell from the pigs in the cargo hold entering the cockpit.
In an audio clip uploaded by The Bermuda Flyer to YouTube, the pilots of the KLM flight can be heard discussing the smelly pigs with New York air traffic control, which controls the oceanic airspace around Bermuda.
Air traffic control discussion
In the audio clip, the KLM pilot is heard informing air traffic control about the issue and requesting an unscheduled landing at Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport.
The pilot emphasises that the situation “is not an emergency” and “is not even a pan” [situation with Possible Assistance Needed].
However, the foul smell from the pigs was reportedly so intrusive that the pilot deemed it necessary to land as soon as possible in order to offload the pigs, ventilate the entire aircraft, and make the air more bearable.
The pilot said: “There was a lot of obnoxious cargo coming from pigs probably [sic], which may have something to do with the oxygen environment in the cockpit, so that’s why I’m diverting.”
With some surprise in his voice, the New York air traffic controller then asks the pilot to confirm whether “there’s live pigs in the cargo hold”, to which the KLM pilot replies that they are “probably the starter of the inconvenience [sic]”.
The New York air traffic controller then has a chuckle and is heard saying he’ll pass it on to the Bermuda Airport tower.
Flight diversion
The KLM Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner eventually made a safe landing on the island of Bermuda.
Skyport, the company that operates Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport, explained that the “distinctive aroma of 100 pigs travelling in the cargo hold prompted the flight crew to divert to Bermuda for a fresh-air break”.
According to a newspaper report in Bermuda’s Royal Gazette, the pigs were offloaded at the airport and “are being cared for at a secure location on the island, with assistance from a government veterinarian”.
A Skyport spokeswoman said that the “co-ordinated effort reflects the island’s commitment to caring for all visitors — whether they walk on two legs or trot on four”.
Bermuda delay
In addition to the 100 smelly pigs, the KLM Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner carried 259 passengers and crew on board.
Although the pigs were successfully offloaded, the KLM plane couldn’t continue to Mexico City immediately, most likely because the crew had timed out, exceeding their maximum duty hours and requiring rest before completing the flight.
The Skyport spokeswoman said that the passengers “were processed through immigration and are being accommodated at local hotels” after the flight diversion to Bermuda.
According to Skyport, the KLM flight is scheduled to depart Bermuda at 9.40pm local time to continue its journey to Mexico City.
The airport authority did not specify whether the 100 pigs would be on board when the flight continues its journey to Mexico City.
Conclusion
A KLM Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner bound for Mexico City was forced to divert to the island of Bermuda in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean after the smell of 100 pigs in the cargo hold filled the plane.
After the unscheduled landing, the pigs were offloaded and taken care of by the island’s veterinarian.
Unfortunately, the pilots of the KLM Boeing 787 Dreamliner were unable to continue the flight from Amsterdam to Mexico City, and the 259 passengers and crew had to be accommodated overnight in hotels on Bermuda.
It is expected that the KLM Boeing 787 Dreamliner will finally take off from Bermuda this evening to complete its journey to Mexico City.
