Seagulls Raid Venice Marco Polo Airport Causing Diversion, Grounding of Flights

Seagulls raided the Venice Marco Polo Airport in Venice, Italy, causing the diversion and grounding of flights, according to reports on Monday, October 16. Being the fifth busiest airport in Italy, the Venice airport underwent mayhem when it closed for an hour after some gulls occupied one of its runways. This caused disruption at the said international airport, affecting more than a dozen flights.

Venice Airport Seagulls

The incident occurred on the morning of Friday, October 13, when a flock of seagulls gathered at the end of the Venice Marco Polo Airport runway. The unauthorized entry of the seabirds resulted in the grounding of flights between 9:54 and 10:45 a.m. local time, with 20 flights diverted to other Italian airports in the north, including Milan.

Earlier this year, the group Venice Hoteliers Association (AVA) had enough of recurring seagull attacks and decided that water pistols could be a novel solution to the problem. The AVA also discussed other strategies to keep tourists in Venice safe from the aggressive birds.

Are Seagulls Aggressive?

Gulls (Larinae), also colloquially called seagulls, are not a species but rather a group of birds that often live near the sea, specifically along beaches and coastlines. It is for this reason that many people refer to them as a seagull. The appearance of gulls is often described of having short legs but long wings, as well white and grey feathers.

Despite their appearance just like other birds in general, seagulls have been recorded before attacking humans, especially when we get too close to their nests. In the northern hemisphere, the seagull breeding season spans from late March until September, a period where the seabirds can get more aggressive than usual.

Seagull Attacks

Seagulls, as mentioned earlier, can become violent or capable of responding in an aggressive manner when provoked, including disturbing their nests. With this, seagull attacks on humans in the past had resulted in bruises, cuts, injuries, and even broken bones due to the winged animals' collection of armaments like their bills, claws, and wings. Such aggressive behavior has been recorded before.

In August 2023, a woman in the United Kingdom was reported to be covered in blood pouring from her head after she was attacked by a seagull outside her house. Based on local sources, the victim initially thought that she was struck by a falling brick or tile only to find that her wounds were caused by a bird.

In April this year, another gull attack occurred in Italy when a territorial seagull struck a worker several times while he was on a high b-lift in Liguria, Italy. In recent years, seagulls have also been reported attacking locals and tourists in Venice.

In 2019, an increase in seagull attacks along the New Jersey shore prompted the local police to issue warnings after the 'winged criminals' attempted to snatch the food of people in the area.