A flock of seagulls swarmed the runway at Venice Marco Polo Airport, forcing it to close for an hour over the weekend.
CNN reported that the gulls congregated at the end of the runway on Friday morning (local time).
Flights were grounded between 9.54am and 10.45am and 20 incoming flights were diverted to other airports.
CNN said staff were "enacting their standard anti-seagull routine".
"Venice airport employs a resident falcon, who was dispatched by a falconer to disperse the 200-odd birds. Fauna-friendly acoustic deterrents were also used."
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The gulls eventually moved on and the airport reopened around 11.20am.
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