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Last week, a rat was discovered onboard a SriLankan Airlines flight that was stationed at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, resulting in its grounding.
The presence of the creature on an Airbus A330 flight from Lahore, Pakistan to the capital of Sri Lanka led to significant delays and a search of the aircraft for any potential damage and the whereabouts of the small mammal.
Rats can be a major danger to aircrafts if they gnaw on essential technical parts or wiring.
According to Ashok Pathirage, the chairman of SriLankan Airlines, during a meeting with the Ports, Shipping, and Aviation Ministry, a chemical had to be sprayed on an aircraft after rats were discovered on board. This resulted in the aircraft being grounded for one day, in accordance with international regulations.
“Two additional planes experienced delays as a result of technical issues.”
According to local news outlets, the rat was found dead and flights resumed with some rat-related disruption to the regular departures schedule.
On Sunday, a SriLankan Airlines statement on airport operations said: “SriLankan Airlines would like to clarify that the delays experienced by its passengers at the check-in counters in Bandaranaike International Airport during the early hours of this morning were caused by temporary, unplanned operational conditions at the airport and not due to any type of trade union action.
“SriLankan Airlines expresses regret for any passengers who were inconvenienced due to these operational delays. The airline is actively monitoring the situation and implementing measures to prevent a similar situation in the future.”
There are worries that the unauthorized rat might dissuade potential shareholders during a time of economic unrest for the airline. By March 2023, SriLankan Airlines had accumulated losses exceeding $1.8 billion.
Nimal Siripala de Silva, the minister of aviation, stated that the presence of rats could potentially deter potential investors from purchasing the financially struggling airline.
Sri Lanka has made multiple attempts to privatize their national airline, but without success. The airline, SriLankan Airlines, was even listed for sale at a price of one dollar, but did not receive any buyers.
This occurrence was not the initial occurrence of passengers sharing the cabin with unexpected animals. In October, a smuggled albino rat and otter caused commotion during a flight to Taipei, Taiwan, after escaping from a traveler’s carry-on bag on a VietJet flight. In a similar incident, last January a cat got out of its carrier during a flight from Dallas to San Francisco, leading to chaos as the crew searched for the cat’s owner.
Source: independent.co.uk
