Pilot diverts flight as stench from 100 live pigs overwhelms cabin

The swine were brought to a “safe location” in Bermuda after the unexpected landing to stay at till Dec 15. PHOTO: REUTERS

A flight headed to Mexico went a little “hog wild” when the pilot decided to make an unplanned landing due to an “obnoxious smell” coming from the live pigs the plane was carrying, along with human passengers.

Dutch airline KLM was carrying 259 passengers and heading to Mexico City from Amsterdam – with 100 live pigs in tow – on Dec 13 at about 3pm on flight KL685.

Six hours into the flight, the pilot submitted a request to land, British tabloid Daily Mail reported on Dec 16. The flight then made an unplanned landing in Bermuda.

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AviationSource news.com confirmed in its report that an emergency was not declared, with the flight landing in Bermuda’s LF Wade International Airport approximately 45 minutes after the diversion was initiated.

When the pilot made a request to land following the reported stench coming from the cargo area of the plane, he was asked to confirm by the tower if there were live pigs on board.

The pilot then said: “Yeah, and they are probably the starter of the inconvenience so they have to be offloaded, but we’ll see about that later on,” according to the Daily Mail.

It is not known why the flight was carrying live pigs with humans.

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After disembarking in Bermuda, passengers and crew were put up in hotels for the night as the airplane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, had to be properly ventilated due to “oxygen issues”, the report said.

The swine, however, were not given the green light to head to Mexico City, and were instead transported to a “safe location” on the island, according to the Bermuda Flyer.

All 100 pigs stayed in the same location until an empty cargo plane picked them up to ferry them to Mexico City on Dec 15.

The people were back on the plane to Mexico City on Dec 14, after a 30-hour delay, reported Daily Mail.

Bermuda’s government said in a statement that the welfare of the animals is a priority, while the pigs were on the island.

“Government veterinarian Dr Jonathan Nisbett and animal care workers from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources have been caring for the pigs and ensuring they are well looked after,” the government said.

Following both the passengers’ and animals’ flights’ departure from the island, Bermuda’s government said: “The coordinated efforts reflect the island’s commitment to care for all visitors – whether they walk on two legs or trot on four.”