Gold Coast Airport delay: How a turtle halted flights into the Glitter Strip

A tiny turtle has been blamed for bringing the Gold Coast’s busiest transport hub to a halt. And it’s not the first time this week.

Turtles have twice halted flights at the Gold Coast airport in recent days.

A TINY turtle has brought the Gold Coast’s busiest transport hubs to a halt as it at attempted to cross the runway.

According to the Gold Coast Airport wet weather has brought out more than just the brollies and gumboots, with a small creature halting a major airline.

A keen Jetstar pilot on Wednesday brought his 78 tonne Airbus A320 aircraft to a stop as it was taxiing towards the runway, after he spotted a turtle on the tarmac.

The flight which was about to take off was halted for a few minutes as an Aerodrome Reporting Officer was called to locate the stray reptile and move it out of harm’s way.

Passengers reportedly had a chuckle about the cause of the delay.

GOLD COAST WOMAN ‘SLUT SHAMED’ ON FLIGHT

Turtles have twice halted flights at the Gold Coast airport in recent days.

It was the second time that day a turtle was spotted in the area, with an Air New Zealand aircraft paused in the morning while another turtle was relocated.

Gold Coast Airport General Manager Operations and Service Delivery Brett Curtis said wildlife management was a key focus at the airport.

“An important part of the job of our airside operations team is to monitor the airfield and ensure it is free and clear at all times. That includes any stray wildlife,” he said.

“While our specialist safety officers are onsite 24/7 and are continually inspecting the runway and surrounding areas, sometimes a stray animal or bird does make its way into the area. In this case, we were able to locate the turtle and relocate him to a safer area.

These turtles were not involved in the delays.

“We were pleased to hear our curious friend was relocated to safer territory.”

UNACCOMPANIED CHILD SPENDS NIGHT IN AIRPORT

Wildlife management measures at Gold Coast Airport include inspections of the runway and surrounding areas an average of five times per day, monthly wildlife surveys and risk assessments, and regular wildlife hazard training for our Aerodrome Reporting Officers, who are onsite 24/7.

It is not the first time such incidents have occurred at Gold Coast Airport, with a stray echidna bringing some excitement to the airfield last year, however, birds require the greatest amount of wildlife control at the airport.