Rat, Stray Dog Hold Up Flights in India

A plane heading from Mumbai to London was forced to return mid-flight after a rat was spotted on board, reports said.

Air India flight AI-131 was flying over Tehran when a passenger saw the rodent running around the cabin, the Times of India reported Thursday.

The pilot turned the plane back to Mumbai as a “precautionary measure” in case the rat gnawed through any electrical wiring or aircraft controls.

“The presence of the rodent on board is under investigation. The plane is being fumigated,” an airline official said, requesting anonymity.

The 256 passengers on the flight on Wednesday continued on their journey later on a replacement aircraft.

Rats on planes are reported occasionally and are thought to enter the aircraft most frequently through catering deliveries.

In another incident on Wednesday, a stray dog forced an Air India flight to Dubai to abort takeoff from the northern city of Amritsar, the IANS news agency reported.

The plane left for its destination after a delay of almost three hours, after authorities made sure there were no other animals in the vicinity.