Indigo flight to Delhi delayed by 3hrs after rat spotted
What's the story
An IndiGo Airlines flight from Kanpur to Delhi was delayed by nearly three hours on Sunday after a rat was spotted in the cabin. The incident occurred at Kanpur airport, where all 140 passengers had boarded the aircraft for its scheduled departure at 2:55pm. However, one passenger noticed the rodent and immediately alerted the cabin crew, resulting in an emergency evacuation of all on board.
Precautionary measures
A search operation was launched to locate the rodent
After the rat was spotted, all passengers were safely evacuated from the aircraft as a precautionary measure. Kanpur airport media in-charge Vivek Singh confirmed to NDTV that a rat had been seen on board and passengers were evacuated for safety reasons. A search operation was launched to locate the rodent, which lasted for about one and a half hours.
Delayed departure
Flight delayed by over 2.5 hours
The flight, which was supposed to depart Kanpur at 2:55pm and reach Delhi by 4:10pm, finally took off at 6:03pm. It landed in Delhi at 7:16pm. The incident highlights the potential risks of rodents on aircraft, as they can cause serious damage by chewing through wires or critical components.
Recurring issue
Similar incidents involving rodents on aircraft
This is not the first time airlines have faced issues with rodents. Earlier this year, a Sri Lankan Airlines Airbus A330 was grounded in Colombo after a rat was spotted. In another incident in 2023, a VietJet flight between Bangkok and Taipei went haywire mid-air when an albino rat and an otter escaped from a passenger's hand luggage.