A TAP Air Portugal Airbus A321neo was grounded for four days after a shipment of hamsters escaped from their cages, The Aviation Herald reported. 132 hamsters became loose with 116 located as of Sunday morning.
On Wednesday, the aircraft — registered as CS-TJR — operated flight 1865 from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada. Several animals were being shipped to a local pet store onboard the flight.
#Update footage showing one of the Hamsters on the cargo hold pic.twitter.com/EIzvz5d0pJ
— Air Safety #OTD by Francisco Cunha (@OnDisasters) November 17, 2024
While the flight landed without any issues, the return leg back to Lisbon was cancelled due to the escaped hamsters. The aircraft was later inspected for any damage and operated a ferry flight to Lisbon on Sunday.
The A321neo remains out of revenue service at the time of writing.
