Air India flight turns back on ‘rat sighting’
Print Edition
AN Air India plane was forced to return to New Delhi two hours into a flight to Milan on Thursday after a “suspected rat sighting” in the cabin.
The airline said no rodent had been found, but it had no choice but to turn back and fumigate the aircraft after the report. “(The Dreamliner flight) AI 123 ... returned to Delhi due to (a) suspected rat sighting,” an airline official said yesterday. “The presence of the rodent was not confirmed, but keeping passenger safety in mind, the aircraft was brought back.”
Rats pose a serious threat to the safety of flights as they can chew through wires and damage internal controls.
They often hitch rides on food catering trucks that store the flight meal trays.
It was not the first time the troubled airline had suffered a rodent problem.
An Air India domestic flight was reportedly grounded in May in the northern town of Leh after crew spotted rats scurrying around the plane.
Another plane was grounded at Delhi airport last August when staff complained of a rat infestation.
Separately, the Indian aviation regulator removed the national carrier’s safety chief yesterday for his “failure” to maintain flight records, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
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