Stowaway rat delays Indigo flight to Delhi by three hours

All passengers evacuated while a search team combed through the jet in search of the rodent

An IndiGo Airlines flight from Kanpur to Delhi was thrown into chaos on Sunday after passengers spotted a rat leaping about inside the cabin, forcing the evacuation of all 140 people on board and delaying the journey by nearly three hours, according to a report.

The flight, scheduled to depart Kanpur airport at 2.55pm, had already boarded all passengers when the unwelcome stowaway made its appearance.

Some shocked fliers quickly informed the cabin crew, who halted take-off and called in ground staff.

All the passengers on the aircraft were evacuated while a search team combed through the jet in search of the rodent, in an operation that lasted more than an hour and a half, NDTV reported.

The plane finally took off around 6pm, touching down in Delhi just after 7pm.

Kanpur airport media in-charge Vivek Singh confirmed to NDTV that a rat was present on the aircraft and all the passengers were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

While it may sound like a minor nuisance, rats on aircraft can pose serious risks if they chew through wires or critical components.

It is not known if the rodent was found and removed from the flight.

The Independent has reached out to Indigo for a comment.

It is not the first time rodents have caused trouble for airlines.

In February this year, a Sri Lankan Airlines Airbus A330 was grounded in Colombo after a rat was spotted following its arrival from Lahore, prompting a day-long search of the aircraft.

In 2023, chaos erupted mid-air on a VietJet flight between Bangkok and Taipei when a giant albino rat and an otter escaped from a passenger’s hand luggage. One crew member was bitten as staff scrambled to capture the animals.