A Ryanair Boeing 737, which was supposed to fly from Rome, Italy, to Germany, was abruptly grounded for two days after a cat was discovered hiding inside the plane. The unexpected incident, which occurred at the last minute before departure, resulted in serious operational delays as the feline made itself comfortable in a sensitive area of the plane.
Discovery of the Stowaway
As passengers were about to board, the flight crew and ground staff heard persistent meowing coming from within the plane. The plane was searched by maintenance workers and discovered a black-and-white kitten hiding in the plane’s electrical bay. The cat was reported to be enjoying a gerbil, perhaps another stowaway, as dinner before it made the plane its temporary home.
A Game of Hide-and-Seek
The cat’s retrieval was not an easy one as the agile feline managed to evade capture. Every time crew members attempted to catch it, the cat crawled further into the plane’s wiring and compartments, making it impossible to recover it safely. Technicians were forced to pull out several panels in an attempt to coax the elusive stowaway out, but the cat continued playing hide-and-seek, moving from compartment to compartment in the plane.
Flight Cancellation and Safety Concerns
Due to the difficulty of catching the cat and the risk it posed to the plane’s electronic systems, Ryanair canceled the flight. Safety experts noted that if the cat remained on board, it would have disrupted critical wiring during flight, resulting in catastrophic malfunctions.
The Cat’s Big Exit
After two days of unsuccessful efforts to apprehend it, the cat surfaced on its own and made its way out and down the stairs through an open door in what spectators had described as a dramatic “catwalk” escape. The plane was thereafter comprehensively examined and cleared to fly, and the flight that had been disrupted was ultimately able to continue.
Financial and Operational Impact
The unplanned delay was reportedly costing Ryanair thousands of dollars in losses due to flight delays, passenger rescheduling, and required aircraft inspection. Although it is not yet clear how the cat had ended up on the plane, airline authorities pointed to the importance of thorough pre-flight checks in a bid to avoid such incidences in the future.
Previous Incidences of Animal Intrusions
This is not the first incidence of an animal disrupting flights. In 2021, a flight from Sudan’s Khartoum to Qatar had to be returned to the departure point after a stray cat assaulted the pilot mid-flight. Such incidences are a reminder of the difficulties airlines encounter in maintaining a secure and controlled cabin environment.
The Ryanair cat incident is a reminder of the way in which the smallest intruder is able to cause such enormous disruption in aviation. Thankfully, the incident ended without injury, though it caused great inconvenience to passengers and financial loss to the airline.