Last week, a routine flight turned into an unexpected adventure when a TAP Airlines Airbus A321neo was forced to be grounded due to an unusual stowaway situation. The aircraft, which flew from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada in the Azores on November 13, was taken out of service for four days after 132 hamsters escaped from their cages in the cargo hold and roamed freely throughout the plane, according to Portugal's Aviação TV news website.

The chaos came to light when baggage handlers noticed the damaged cages after the plane landed. Their discovery? Hamsters scurrying around the cargo area, creating a scene straight out of a comedy sketch. The escaped rodents were part of a pet shop shipment that also included ferrets and birds, although there were no reports of the other animals joining the hamsters' escapade.

Ground crews meticulously searched the plane to ensure every last hamster was accounted for, a process that kept the aircraft grounded for several days. With a capacity for about 200 passengers, the plane’s unexpected rodent problem temporarily turned a high-flying journey into a ground-level puzzle.

While the incident caused delays, it also provided a lighthearted moment in aviation news—a reminder that even the most routine flights can encounter the most unexpected challenges.