A bat entered a plane at Wuhan Tianhe Airport in Hubei Province on Wednesday, causing a four-hour delay for a flight bound for Enshi.

A passenger surnamed Tan who was on the flight told the Wuhan Evening News Wednesday that the plane was scheduled to leave at 10:30 am, but when passengers were about to begin boarding, an airport worker noticed that a bat had entered the plane, and the takeoff time was delayed.

The plane had just returned from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, and had arrived at the airport around 10 am.

Airport workers believe that when the passengers from the Guangzhou flight were deplaning, the bat took the opportunity to come aboard.

Due to the possible danger of the bat finding its way into electronic components or other crevices in the plane, more than 10 crew members searched the cabin for the stealthy winged creature.

However, after more than one hour, they did not find the uninvited guest.

Around 1 pm, crew members closed the plane doors and turned on the ventilation system, knocking on all surfaces in order to make an unpleasant racket. Around 2 pm, a palm-sized bat flew out of its hiding place, and was soon caught.

At 2:21 pm, nearly four hours after its scheduled departure, the plane finally took off.

Wuhan Evening News