Swarm of bees forces airport domestic gates to close

A swarm of bees, possibly escapees from a passenger's cage, disrupted domestic operations at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 on Thursday when they buzzed around the control panels of the moveable walkways used by passengers to board planes. Personnel could not get near the control booth or attach the movable walkways, or aerobridges, to airplanes. NAIA Terminal 2 manager Cecilio Bobila ordered Gates 32-38 to be closed temporarily, as bees are potentially hazardous to both passengers and airport personnel.

Passengers were made to take the service stairs down the ramp, and were ferried to the baggage claim area by airport buses. Giant vacuum cleaners and smoke were then used to shoo the bees away, a process which took 30 minutes. Airport general manager Jose Angel Honrado ordered an investigation of the bees’ origin and how they got to the airport. Some airport personnel believed the bees could have escaped from a cage brought into Manila by a domestic passenger. Honrado ordered the Terminal Manager to coordinate with the Bureau of Animal Quarantine to determine the type of bees that swarmed the bridges. — AY/LBG/HS, GMA News