Sugar glider Photo: VCG

You may have encountered many causes of flight delays except for this one: a sugar glider. A flight from Shanghai to Ji'nan city was delayed after a passenger reportedly brought a sugar glider on board the aircraft. 

The animal's escape caused all passengers to disembark and await further instructions. The responsible individuals were escorted from the scene by police on Tuesday.

Staff at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport confirmed media reports on Tuesday of a passenger bringing the small pet on board and said that the matter had been handed over to security and airline authorities, with individuals involved escorted by police.

A video shared by a netizen on Monday revealed that on flight MU5599, scheduled to depart from Shanghai to Ji'nan, East China's Shandong Province, a female passenger brought a sugar glider on board. However, the pet escaped within the airplane, prompting flight attendants to scramble to recover the furry friends.

In the video, all passengers were required to disembark and await further instructions. A female flight attendant was searching under passenger seats, and multiple passengers engaged in communications with airport personnel at a counter.

According to an official air travel app, flight MU5599 was scheduled to depart at 9:25 pm on Monday but experienced an hour and two minutes' delay.

A passenger expressed dissatisfaction in the comments, citing inadequate security measures. "A passenger brought live animal which escaped on board, leading to all passengers to disembark with no compensation or apology from the airline," one passenger wrote.

A staff member from the airport told local media that further investigation of the reason behind the presence of the sugar glider is underway.

Global Times