A runway at New York City’s Kennedy Airport was shut down after 78 turtles emerged from the bay and crawled onto the tarmac.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said grounds crews rounded up the wayward reptiles in about 35 minutes and deposited them back in the water, further from airport property.

The shutdown disrupted flight schedules, though, with delays climbing to nearly 1 1/2 hours.

Pilots reported the first turtle sightings at around 8:30 a.m.

The Port Authority identified the turtles as Diamondback Terrapins. They appeared to be about 8 inches long and weigh 2 to 3 pounds each.

Rumour has it that the turtles were offered a new recording contract for a commercial for a yet to be named new airline that will seek to have very slow but really safe service