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An incident from last week saw an A320 service from Stockholm to Malaga turning around mid-flight and returning to the point of origin, after a mouse was found to be present onboard. The decision to return to Stockholm was made due to safety concerns of having a rodent on board the aircraft, and the aircraft landed back after a flight time of over three hours.
No passengers or crew members were hurt or injured, and the passengers were allocated onto another aircraft and flown to Malaga without any further incident. Simple Flying has reached out to the airline to know more about this incident.
Unexpected Rodent Diverts A320
On February 7, an Airbus A320neo aircraft operated by 
SAS, departed Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) for Malaga, Spain; and as per reports from AIRLIVE, the aircraft was forced to turn around after over an hour because a mouse was spotted onboard. Turning around midway meant that when the aircraft landed back in Stockholm, it had been over three hours since the flight had originally departed the airport.
Due to the safety risks associated with having a rodent running around the aircraft, potentially chewing through electronics and parts of the aircraft structure, the potential hazards were serious. Damages to critical wiring or components could lead to electrical issues or even result in a fire, which can be especially dangerous if it starts in an inaccessible area of the aircraft. This essentially resulted in the flight crew deciding to turn the flight around SK1583 and return to ARN.
Reports indicate that all passengers and crew members were safe, and the passengers were assigned to another aircraft before leaving for Malaga once again. This flight arrived in Malaga without any further incidents, albeit with a significant delay. Aircraft data from FlightRadar24 shows that the aircraft was back in commercial operations the very next day, indicating no damages were found upon inspection.
Mouse On Board! Not The First Time.
Far from a regular occurrence, but an SAS aircraft has previously found itself in a similar situation back in September 2024. In this incident, another one of the airline’s A320neo aircraft flying to Malaga, this time from Oslo, was forced to divert mid-flight and perform an emergency landing in Copenhagen. To make matters more serious, in this instance, the mouse was apparently hiding in one of the passengers’ in-flight meals.
It was reported that statements provided by the airline spokesperson stated that the aircraft was diverted to change aircraft and catering. The carrier also stated that the aircraft with the mouse onboard would be thoroughly inspected for any potential damage, while the suppliers used and their processes would also be inspected.
While a single mouse can cause chaos and prove significantly disruptive and costly for an airline, when it comes to their flight operations, the risks associated with having a rodent onboard the aircraft running around are also significant, and in the unfortunate event of an incident or accident, the disruptions, associated costs, and reputational damage would be significantly worse.
Rat Stowaway On KLM A330 Leaves Over 250 Passengers Stranded In Caribbean
An unexpected furry passenger causes a major disruption on this international flight.
Not Just Airplanes, They Can Be In Airports Too
Again, it is not common or a widespread issue, but rats can cause a lot of chaos within an airport environment as well. Considering that large airports also have an extensive network of wiring and components critical to airport (and subsequently airline) operations, the rodents’ ability to chew through things can still be an issue.
But beyond that, considering the airport is a place where thousands of passengers from various parts of the world interact or cross paths with each other, it remains an easy area for rodents to spread bacteria and infections on a large scale. An infestation situation in 2023 at Manchester Airport (MAN) in the UK saw multiple staff report rodents in various spaces of the airport, even interacting with staff and passengers, resulting in pest control being employed for deep cleaning.
Ultimately, as long as sufficient cleaning measures at relevant intervals are taken, rodent infestations should not be a major issue. However, even a single rodent within an aircraft or the airport terminal can cause considerable damage and operational disruption, and therefore calls for a timely reaction from the relevant stakeholders.
