The plane was flying from Oslo, Norway, to Malaga, Spain. However, it never reached its destination. The plane had to be brought down due to a mouse that was on board.
The rodent got on board in a passenger’s food box. When she opened it on the plane, the mouse jumped out.
Strict regulations
SAS spokesman Oystein Schmidt stressed to AFP that an emergency landing was necessary in this situation. This is due to regulations regarding the presence of rodents on board aircraft. They pose a risk of biting cables, which could potentially cause a very dangerous situation.
“This is something that happens very rarely. We have procedures in place for situations like this, which also includes reviewing with our suppliers to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Schmidt said.
A witness told the BBC that the situation did not cause panic on board, although there were complications. The emergency landing added several hours to the journey, and passengers arrived in Malaga on another flight.
A similar animal incident occurred on Saturday, when the BBC reported that a train to Gatwick Airport had to be cancelled because two squirrels were found on board. The panicked animals refused to leave the train, and passengers had to move to other carriages.
Read also:
PAP/BBC/ex
