The smell of 100 pigs in the hold pushed a Boeing 787 into an unexpected diversion during a Transatlantic crossing
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- A KLM flight diverted to Bermuda due to the smell of pigs from the cargo hold.
- The Boeing 787 was en route from Amsterdam to Mexico City when it diverted.
- Passengers stayed at local hotels and were ultimately delayed by 30 hours.
A KLM flight made an unscheduled landing when the cabin was filled with the smell of 100 pigs.
The Boeing 787 was flying from Amsterdam to Mexico City last Friday. Data from Flightradar24 shows that six hours into its journey, it diverted to Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean.
A spokesperson for Skyport, the firm that runs Bermuda's LF Wade International Airport, told Business Insider the diversion was caused by "the distinctive aroma of 100 pigs traveling in the cargo hold," saying the stench "prompted the flight crew to divert to Bermuda for a fresh-air break."
They said the 259 passengers and crew were processed through immigration and accommodated at local hotels, while the pigs were attended to by a government vet.
"Thanks to excellent collaboration between KLM, Delta Air Lines, and local partners, both our two-legged and four-legged visitors are safe and well cared for — even if this wasn't quite the Christmas vacation they had planned," they added.
Skyport shared a video on social media of the pigs being loaded back onto a different plane — a KLM 777.
According to the spokesperson and Flightradar24 data, the plane was scheduled to leave Bermuda at 9:40 p.m. — but ended up departing earlier, at 6:26 p.m.
Landing in Mexico around 9 p.m. on Sunday meant the KLM passengers — and the pigs — were delayed by around 26 hours.
KLM did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
This diversion comes two weeks after a KLM Boeing 777 had to turn back to Amsterdam while crossing the Atlantic.
The flight from Amsterdam to Suriname experienced a "technical malfunction," leaving passengers with a four-hour flight to nowhere.