Hide and squeak: Passengers flying to Spain faced a flight to nowhere after a rodent was spotted on board

"Passengers in Europe had a grueling flight to nowhere earlier this month due to an unusual passenger. A Scandinavian Airlines flight turned around after a rodent was spotted on board. Flight 1583 departed Stockholm Arlanda Airport on February 7 and was supposed to land in Málaga, Spain, four hours later. However, almost two hours into the journey, the Airbus A320neo U-turned while flying over Belgium, according to flight-tracking data."

"In a statement to Business Insider, an airline spokesperson said the plane turned around "after a suspected rodent sighting on board." "We followed established procedures and, as a precaution, returned the aircraft to Arlanda to carry out standard inspections of both the aircraft and relevant suppliers," they added. "Passengers were boarded on a new aircraft to Malaga shortly after." SAS did not confirm exactly what kind of rodent was spotted, but Flightradar24 reported that it was a mouse."

Flight 1583 departed Stockholm Arlanda Airport on February 7 bound for Málaga and turned back nearly two hours into the flight while over Belgium. The Airbus A320neo returned to Stockholm and landed 3 hours and 20 minutes after takeoff after crew reported a suspected rodent on board. The airline followed procedures, conducted inspections, and rebooked passengers onto a replacement aircraft that reached Málaga about five hours later than originally scheduled. Loose animals on aircraft can damage wiring or components, potentially causing system faults or, in rare cases, fires. Flightradar24 reported the animal as a mouse and an extra flight completed the route later that day.

Read at Business Insider