Stowaway Pigeons Force Delta Flight to Return to Gate Multiple Times

Two pigeons hijacked a Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis to Madison, Wisconsin carrying 119 passengers and five crew members causing chaos and two returns back to the gate, according to ABC News.

Shortly after boarding, the first bird began flying around the cabin. Ground crew boarded the plane at the gate and removed the pigeon but as the plane taxied back out to the runway for takeoff, a second pigeon appeared in flight, forcing the Airbus A220 back to the gate for a second time.

A passenger attempted to catch one of the pigeons with his jacket but was unsuccessful. The incident, which occurred on May 24, was caught on camera by another passenger.

In a statement to ABC News, a spokesperson from Delta said it "appreciates the careful actions of our people and our customers to safely remove two birds from the aircraft prior to departure and we apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel."

Both birds were removed alive and well by baggage handlers and the flight arrived safely in Madison after a 56-minute delay.

The incident comes one month after a ceiling panel detached in mid-flight on a Delta flight from Atlanta to Chicago.

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