**IndiGo Flight to Delhi Delayed by 3 Hours After Rat Spotted Onboard**

*By Snehil Singh | Sep 22, 2025, 05:16 PM*

An IndiGo Airlines flight from Kanpur to Delhi faced a nearly three-hour delay on Sunday after a rat was spotted inside the cabin.

The incident took place at Kanpur airport, where all 140 passengers had already boarded the aircraft scheduled to depart at 2:55 PM. However, a passenger noticed the rodent and immediately alerted the cabin crew. This prompted an emergency evacuation of everyone on board as a precautionary measure.

Kanpur airport media in-charge Vivek Singh confirmed the sighting to NDTV and stated that the passengers were evacuated for their safety. Following the evacuation, a thorough search operation was conducted to locate the rat, which lasted approximately one and a half hours.

Originally planned to depart at 2:55 PM and reach Delhi by 4:10 PM, the flight finally took off at 6:03 PM and landed at 7:16 PM.

This incident underscores the risks posed by rodents on aircraft, as they have the potential to cause significant damage by chewing through wires or other critical components, potentially jeopardizing flight safety.

**Recurring Issue: Rodents on Aircraft**

This is not the first time that airlines have faced similar issues involving rodents. Earlier this year, a SriLankan Airlines Airbus A330 was grounded in Colombo after a rat was spotted onboard. In another notable incident in 2023, a VietJet flight between Bangkok and Taipei experienced turbulence mid-air when an albino rat and an otter escaped from a passenger’s hand luggage.

As these incidents show, rodent presence remains a concerning challenge for airline safety and operations, prompting stringent measures to prevent such occurrences.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/india/stowaway-rat-delays-indigo-flight-to-delhi-by-3-hours/story