Meal-Borne Mouse Forces Diversion

Konstantin von Wedelstaedt/Wikimedia
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A Scandinavian Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Copenhagen after a mouse was discovered in a passenger's meal.
  • The emergency landing was prompted by the mouse's potential threat to flight safety, specifically its ability to chew wires.
  • The airline followed established procedures for the diversion and is reviewing the incident with its caterer to prevent future occurrences.
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Although the ick factor probably justified it, the surprise appearance of a mouse in a passenger meal on a Scandinavian Airlines flight last week forced an emergency landing for a more practical reason. The wire-chewing rodent posed a legitimate threat to the safety of the flight, so the passengers spent some time in Copenhagen before continuing to Malaga, Spain, from Oslo.

Everyone was just settling in for the flight when a woman opened her meal packet and a mouse “jumped out.” Airline spokesman Øystein Schmidt told the Guardian the diversion was “in line with our procedures.” He also said they’d had a word with the caterer about their procedures. “This is something that happens extremely rarely,” he said. “We have established procedures for such situations, which also include a review with our suppliers to ensure this does not happen again.”

Russ Niles

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.
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