A Scandinavian Airlines passenger got an unpleasant surprise when she opened her in-flight meal and a live mouse ran out.
An unsanitary incident caused the flight to make an emergency landing on Wednesday, September 17, the airline told the AFP news agency, the BBC reports.
Airline spokesman Oystein Schmidt said the rodent posed a “security risk” to passengers flying from Oslo, Norway to Malaga, Spain. The plane was diverted to Copenhagen.
The passengers later took another plane to their original destination of Malaga.
One of the passengers on board, Jarle Borrestad, shared his experience of witnessing the furry intruder in a Facebook post.
“Believe it or not. The lady next to me here at SAS opened the food and a mouse jumped out. Now we turned around and landed at CPH [Copenhagen Airport] for flight changes,” Borrestad wrote.
Scandinavian Airlines. ©Courtesy of Freefoto Unruly passenger ordered to pay nearly $6,000 for wasted fuel after forcing flight to divert
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Schmidt said finding a mouse in flight is “something that happens extremely rarely.”
Another spokesperson for Scandinavian Airlines told PEOPLE in a statement: “We made a very normal landing in Copenhagen to change aircraft and catering – which is a completely normal procedure when a rodent is found on board.”
“In these cases, we have very clear procedures to follow, including a full inspection of the aircraft and all of our suppliers’ processes to see what needs to be improved or changed to avoid these scenarios,” the statement continued. “This inspection and investigation has now been launched.”
An article on the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) website notes that mice can chew through electrical wires in airplanes — and partially chewed wires, which are harder to detect, can cause short circuits and pose a fire hazard.
AOPA adds, “Once mice live on an airplane, it’s not just their home, it’s… uh… their bathroom. This is more than just disgusting. Mouse urine is corrosive to metal, and their droppings can act as a desiccant, trapping moisture and causing water corrosion.”
“If you see a mouse in the hangar, the correct response is to jump into action,” the article advises.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education