YOU’D expect delays at an airport this summer because of EES checks or bad weather, but what about turtles?
On the island of Zante in Greece, the conservation of its loggerhead turtles has seen passengers ‘stranded’ due to a night-time flight ban .
The summer months in Zante are the most important for the island’s loggerhead turtles which are also called ‘Caretta caretta’.
The turtles nest on the beaches between May and August during the night.
But this can be easily disrupted if there are loud noises and lights from aircraft nearby.
So to safeguard the turtles, a night-time flight ban is in place between 10PM and 5AM.
While this is great for nature, it can mean some passengers can find their travel plans disrupted.
The woman found that when her flight was suddenly cancelled late at night, she had to wait until the following morning for it to be rescheduled.
She previously said on TikTok: “Basically, my flight home was meant to be at 10pm, and at five to 10 I knew we’d be delayed as we weren’t boarding the flight.
“But at literally five to 10 they announced on the speaker ‘sorry everyone, flight has been delayed until tomorrow.”
She added: “Basically, pretty much everything at Zante Airport shuts at 10pm. So if you have booked a really late flight and it gets delayed for whatever reason, past 10pm, they will just delay you to the next day.”
Her journey home was delayed all-in-all for 24 hours.
It’s well known by airlines and Skyscanner even has a warning on its website about the restriction.
It says: “Do take note that during the summer, flight operations are purposefully paused between 10 PM and 5 AM to safeguard the sea turtles nesting near Kalamaki beach, ensuring minimal disruption to nature while maintaining an efficient travel experience for you.”
The restriction isn’t new and was first brought in during the early 1990s to safeguard loggerhead sea turtles.
The turtles are strictly protected under EU law and the species is considered ‘vulnerable’ across the world.
Zante is an important place for the animals as 80 per cent of loggerhead sea turtles in the Mediterranean nest on the island.
For visitors who head to Zante, they’ll find that aside from its famous Shipwreck Beach, one of the other most popular attractions is seeing the loggerhead turtles.
Your best chance of seeing them is by heading to the Marine Park and going on a diving excursion.
Laganas Bay is a prime spot for turtle-spotting as many of them nest on its shores.
They’re easily seen in the waters too because it’s so shallow.