130 hamsters' grounds TAP Air Portugal aircraft

TAP EMBRAER E195AR CS-TTZ (MSN 19000628)

Recently, a TAP Air Portugal flight was grounded due to over 130 hamsters escaping from their cages in the cargo hold. This incident took place last week during a scheduled journey from Lisbon (LIS/LPPT) to the Azores.

The aircraft, an Airbus A320, had left Lisbon on the 13th of November heading for Ponta Delgada (PDL/LPPD) on São Miguel Island, Azores. Portuguese news outlet Correio da Manha reported that the flight was transporting a variety of animals to a local pet shop, including ferrets, several birds, and 132 hamsters.

Upon arrival in Ponta Delgada, as baggage handlers began to unload the plane, they noticed hamsters scurrying around the cargo hold. It was revealed that all 132 hamsters had escaped from their transport boxes. These hamsters, en route to a local pet shop, had broken out of their cages mid-flight. Correio da Manha noted that an earlier flight had rejected the animal consignment because the transport boxes did not meet the required standards.

The unexpected incident caused disruption to flight schedules. Given the difficulty of tracking all the loose hamsters down, the aircraft was subsequently grounded for five days. As a result, only one scheduled TAP Air Portugal flight was cancelled. 

Whilst mass breakouts of animals from cargo holds remains something of an unusual event, rodents discovered loose on flights does occur occasionally.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: TAP Air Portugal

Code: TP/TAP

Aircraft: Airbus A321-251NX

Registration: CS-TJR

Serial Number: 10105

Engines: 2 x CFMI LEAP-1A32

First Flew: 7th October 2020

Age: 4 Years Old