The flight in question was diverted on Wednesday (18/9) and in accordance with the company’s procedures, as the hairy “stealth passenger” was a security risk, SAS spokesman Austin Schmidt told AFP. The passengers of the flight were later transferred to Malaga on another aircraft. Airlines usually have strict restrictions on rodents on planes to prevent them from breaking into electrical wiring.
“This is something that happens extremely rarely,” Schmidt said. “We have established procedures for such situations, which also include a review with our suppliers to ensure this does not happen again,” he added.
Jarle Borestad experienced the incident first-hand, telling the BBC that the mouse escaped from the food box being opened by the woman sitting next to him on the flight. Borestad said the situation was very calm and that the other passengers were “not stressed at all”.
However, he admitted to putting his socks over his pants to keep the mouse from crawling up his legs. Borestad said that while the flight changed course, it only added a few extra hours to the trip. This is the second rodent-related travel incident in a week. A train in southern England had to stop mid-journey after two squirrels boarded a carriage and one… refused to get off.
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