Rabbit on runway forces plane to abort landing at Sabiha Gökçen airport in Turkey

Istanbul – A Pegasus Airlines flight operating the Ercan-Istanbul route was forced to abort its landing at Sabiha Gökçen Airport after the pilot spotted a rabbit on the runway, aviation authorities confirmed.

The incident occurred recently as the aircraft was descending for landing. Upon noticing the rabbit wandering on the runway, the pilot immediately reported the situation via radio to air traffic control.

Following the pilot’s report, the air traffic controller instructed ground crews to inspect the runway, prompting the Pegasus flight preparing to land to perform a go-around maneuver for safety reasons.

Recordings of the radio exchange between the pilot and the control tower captured the moment the controller asked, “Could you please give an approximate location of where you saw the rabbit so we can have it checked?”

After thorough inspections were carried out, the runway was declared clear, and normal air traffic operations resumed.