Flight diverted after passenger finds live mouse in meal
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) reported that one of its flights was forced to make an emergency landing on Wednesday after a mouse was discovered in a passenger’s in-flight meal.
The plane, which was en route from Oslo, Norway, to Malaga, Spain, had to divert to Copenhagen, Denmark, due to the incident. According to airline spokesperson Oystein Schmidt, the diversion was in line with company procedures as the presence of the mouse posed a safety risk.
Passengers were later flown to Malaga on a different aircraft.
Airlines have strict protocols regarding rodents on board, as they can potentially damage electrical wiring. “Such incidents are extremely rare,” Schmidt added.
“We have established procedures for such situations, which also include a review with our suppliers to ensure this does not happen again.”
Jarle Borrestad experienced the incident first-hand, telling the BBC News Channel in a recorded video that the mouse escaped from the box of food that the woman sitting next to him on the flight was opening.
Mr. Borrestad said the situation was very calm and that people “were not stressed at all”.
However, he admitted that he did put his socks over his trousers so the mouse did not crawl up his legs.
Mr Borrestad said that while the flight was diverted, it only added a few extra hours to the journey.
It is the second rodent-related travel incident in a week.
A train service in southern England had to be terminated mid-journey after two squirrels boarded a carriage and one refused to get off.
