A flight from Changchun to Shenzhen was delayed by a day at its stopover in Yantai. The delay was caused by an ugly, aggressive and unexpected passenger: a rat.

A passenger surnamed Yu told to the media: "It was the most absurd voyage of my life. We stopped at Yantai as scheduled. When we returned to cabin for take-off, we were told to get off the plane again, this time with our luggage." Yu also reported: "They didn't tell us the reason at first. When we kept asking, flight attendant finally said that there was a rat on board, and it had chewed the wires of the plane."

According to Yu, all the passengers who were delayed received 400 yuan as compensation from the airline. They also received overnight accommodations and were rescheduled on a flight the next day. However, Ms. Yu said that she still feels frightened about what could have happened.

A staff member at the head office of Shenzhen Airlines offered a statement on the matter, saying it was the cabin crew that found traces of the rat. The whole crew immediately began to search for the rodent, but by the time the plane was supposed to take off, they still hadn’t found it. "According to regulations, since we had not caught the rat, the plane could not take off. Rats can be aggressive, which not only threatens the safety of passengers, but can also cause problems with the aircraft," said the staff member,

The employee also mentioned that Shenzhen Airlines has encountered similar cases before this one, including one that caused a flight to be delayed for three full days. Despite the fact that this was not a one-time issue, the airline has yet to implement specific preventative measures.

When the Shenzhen Airlines staff member was asked how the rat got onto the flight, he said that in addition to the usual passenger and cargo channels, the rat may have entered the aircraft while it was parked on the tarmac. "There are many tiny cracks and openings on an aircraft. Rats can enter the cabin through very small spaces," he said. However, the staff member denied that any wires on the plane had been chewed. He said an inspection showed that no such damage existed.