COLOMBO, Feb 27: A Sri Lankan Airlines flight came to a halt at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo when a rat was discovered onboard. The unexpected sighting of the rodent on an Airbus A330 flight from Lahore, Pakistan to Sri Lanka's capital led to significant delays and a comprehensive search of the aircraft to assess any potential damage and locate the intruder.

The presence of rats on airplanes poses a serious threat as they may gnaw through critical technical components or wiring, jeopardizing the safety of the aircraft. Ashok Pathirage, Chairman of Sri Lankan Airlines, informed the Ports, Shipping, and Aviation Ministry that the aircraft had to undergo thorough cleaning and grounding for a day by international standards after the discovery of rats. This incident also caused delays for two other aircraft due to technical issues.

Despite efforts to resume normal operations, there were disruptions to the regular departure schedule as a result of the rat-related incident. Sri Lankan Airlines released a statement addressing the operational delays experienced by passengers, clarifying that they were caused by unforeseen operational challenges at the airport and not due to any trade union actions. The airline apologized to affected passengers and assured that measures were being taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.