Hedgehog on runway costs GBP2 million
The French government has reportedly been left with a £2 million bill after a dead hedgehog caused chaos on an airport runway.
According to the Daily Telegraph, more than 20 seagulls were pecking at the body of the hedgehog as it lay on the runway at Marseilles airport.
The flock was sucked into the engine of an airbus A320 as it prepared to take off, causing the pilot to abort the procedure and bring the plane to an emergency halt just short of a lagoon near the airport.
While nobody was hurt, the engine was completely destroyed, the newspaper reports. The French government’s ministry of infrastructure and transport ended up footing the bill after being ordered to compensate Air France, the owner of the jet, and five insurance companies.
A court in Marseilles reportedly heard that the state was legally responsible for preventing aircraft from such dangers; the Telegraph reports that the person responsible for clearing the runway on the day in question had slept in and had not arrived for work.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025