An unpleasant surprise was delivered to a client of Scandinavian Airlines when she opened her in-flight meal and saw a live mouse running out of the package.
An emergency landing was had to be performed on the flight on Wednesday, September 17, according to the AFP news agency and the BBC. This was due to the filthy situation that occurred.
Oystein Schmidt, a spokesman for the airline, indicated that the rodent presented a “safety risk” to customers who were traveling from Malaga, Spain, to Oslo, Norway. A new destination, Copenhagen, was chosen for the flight.
After that, passengers boarded a different aircraft to arrive at their last destination, which was Malaga.
On his Facebook page, one of the passengers on board, Jarle Borrestad, described his experience of viewing the furry intruder with his friends.
Are you able to believe it? While I was at SAS, the woman sitting next to me opened the meal, and a mouse jumped out of it. The following is what Borrestad wrote: “We have made a U-turn and landed at CPH [Copenhagen Airport] in order to make flight changes.”
In his statement, Schmidt noted that the sighting of a mouse on a flight is “something that happens extremely rarely.”
The following statement was given by a different spokesperson from Scandinavian Airlines: “We made a very normal landing in Copenhagen to change aircraft and cater—which is a fully normal procedure when a rodent is found onboard.”
“In these cases, we have very clear procedures to follow,” the statement reads. “These procedures include a full inspection of the aircraft as well as all of our suppliers’ processes to determine what needs to be improved or changed in order to avoid scenarios like these.” Currently, we are in the process of beginning this research and inspection.
An article that can be found on the website of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) states that mice have the ability to chew through the electrical wiring on airplanes. Wires that have been partially eaten, which are difficult to detect, may cause short circuits and pose a risk of fire.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) reports that mice are able to use the lavatory on the aircraft in addition to their dwelling accommodations. It is not enough to say that something is revolting. It is known that mouse urine is corrosive to metal, and that the droppings of mice may function as anti-desiccants, so inducing water corrosion and preventing moisture from escaping.
The right answer, according to the article, is to immediately take action in the event that you come across a mouse in the hangar.