In a rare and alarming event, a Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight from Oslo to Málaga was forced to make an unscheduled landing after a mouse was found crawling out of a passenger’s in-flight meal. The incident took place on Wednesday, resulting in the plane diverting to Copenhagen.
One of the passengers, Jarle Borrestad, shared the shocking moment on Facebook, writing, “Believe it or not. A lady next to me opened her food and a mouse jumped out.” Along with the post, Borrestad shared a smiling photo with two fellow passengers, seemingly in good spirits despite the bizarre occurrence.
Airlines are particularly strict about keeping rodents off planes, as these animals can chew through essential wiring, potentially leading to serious operational risks. In response to the situation, SAS spokesperson Øystein Schmidt confirmed that “in line with our procedures, there was a change of aircraft” to ensure the safety of the passengers. The passengers later continued their journey on a different plane to Málaga, Spain.
Schmidt reassured that this type of event is extremely rare. “We have established procedures for such situations,” he added, noting that a review with suppliers is underway to prevent future incidents like this.
While such occurrences are unusual, this isn’t the first time a rodent has disrupted air travel. In 2017, a British Airways flight was delayed for four hours after a mouse was spotted onboard before takeoff at Heathrow. The delay cost the airline an estimated £250,000.
In other unscheduled landing incidents, safety isn’t always the concern. In 2022, a United Airlines flight from Houston to Amsterdam was diverted to Chicago after a business-class passenger became unruly when his meal choice was unavailable. And in 2017, a Qatar Airways flight made an emergency landing when a woman discovered her husband was cheating.
Scandinavian Airlines’ quick response and commitment to passenger safety ensured the journey continued with minimal disruption, but this event will likely be remembered by all onboard for quite some time.
