In a bizarre incident at Ponta Delgada Airport in the Azores, a TAP Air Portugal Airbus A321neo (registered CS-TJR) was grounded for four days due to a mass hamster escape. Over 130 rodents, intended for a pet shop, broke free from their transport boxes in the aircraft’s cargo hold, leading to a frantic recovery effort to prevent potential damage to the plane’s wiring.
According to Correio da Manhã, the rodents’ breakout was attributed to the damaged transport boxes used during the flight from Lisbon. Alarmingly, the shipment had been rejected on an earlier flight due to poor packaging conditions but was still accepted for this journey. Upon landing, baggage handlers discovered the situation, sparking a lengthy operation to recapture the hamsters, which concluded with all 132 accounted for.
The incident delayed the aircraft’s return to Lisbon, as only on 17 November, the aircraft returned to Lisbon. The airline is now likely to review its policies to prevent future occurrences. For more on this unusual story, visit Portugal Resident.
