The Star Alliance’s proudest new member airline, Air India, seems to have a rat problem.
Via Channel News Asia:
Air India has been forced to ground one of its planes after crew spotted rats scurrying around the cabin, The Times of India reported on Tuesday. The plane was on its way from New Delhi to Calcutta when staff became aware of the infestation, the paper said.
“Rats on board an aircraft can lead to a catastrophe if they start chewing up electric wires,” the paper quoted an unnamed airline official as saying. “If that happens, pilots will have no control on any system on board leading to a disaster.”
No one at the airline was immediately available for comment, but an Air India official speaking on condition of anonymity said rats on planes were a “common phenomenon” worldwide and could “get in anywhere”. The official added, “They follow the catering vans into the plane when they smell the food.”
Now I just have to decide what’s worse — the rats on Air India, or this “song” that was uploaded to YouTube today about rats on “Indian Airlines:”
In all seriousness, this doesn’t seem to be the first time Air India has had rat problems:
Fun stuff, eh? Then again, I feel like this pales in comparison to the time that two Air India pilots allegedly left flight attendants alone in the cockpit so they could take a nap in business class instead (though don’t worry, Air India assures us passenger safety was never at risk).
Would you like to fly Biman Bangladesh Airlines New 777-300er?
I flew Air India Chennai-Singapore return earlier this year. Chose it over a slightly higher-priced Jet Airways flight because AI was operating an A340 whereas 9W was operating the narrowbody B737 they use for domestic sectors (ie no in-flight entertainment). Unfortunately I didn't realize the A340 was from the 80s and had the most disgusting toilets I've ever seen on a plane. One was blocked, one was all wet, and the others were absolutely filthy....
I flew Air India Chennai-Singapore return earlier this year. Chose it over a slightly higher-priced Jet Airways flight because AI was operating an A340 whereas 9W was operating the narrowbody B737 they use for domestic sectors (ie no in-flight entertainment). Unfortunately I didn't realize the A340 was from the 80s and had the most disgusting toilets I've ever seen on a plane. One was blocked, one was all wet, and the others were absolutely filthy. No wonder they have rats. Just like Indian Railways.
I am surprised that they don't find rats in planes leaving LGA and JFK. After all I see plenty in the streets here in NY.
After snakes on the plane, Indian Rats on the plane !!!! that would be a great plot for a next new line cinema's horror movie ^^
Not funny!! We had rats in the office which chewed through our LAN cables and destroying the network connections. Imagine the same happening to modern 'fly-by-wire" planes.
@lucky However I heard on Wikipedia Jet Airways was trying to get in Star, they could've accepted them.
Also, is it a coincidence that I'm listening to Get Lucky while reading your blog?
Are you going to fly air india and jet airways lucky?
@ Navin -- I hope to soon!
“If that happens, pilots will have no control on any system on board leading to a disaster.”
Hmm. What was the last plane with a backup hydraulic control system?
Add to the list of airlines I won't be flying...
RakSiam, you made me laugh! Snakes on a plane! Where's Samuel L. Jackson when you need him?!
When I was at AA, we had a few planes infested with mice. We put bait boxes behind the interior panels. The mice were supposed to take the edible bait back to their nests. When we asked about having the smell of dead mice all over the airplane, the bait box supplier said that the dry air would dry out the carcasses and they would not smell. I guess it works. I am no longer at AA but I fly them and I never smell dead animals.
I have traveled some of the shiftiest airlines such as Spantax, PIA, Bangladesh Biman, Uzbekistan, air Astana but have never encountered the sheer filthiness of AI. There was even a report, that the endemic corruption in India covered AI spare parts ( the allusion was the spare parts were fake)
You couldn't pay me enough money to fly AI and I strongly urge you not to do so either. While the risk of something happening...
I have traveled some of the shiftiest airlines such as Spantax, PIA, Bangladesh Biman, Uzbekistan, air Astana but have never encountered the sheer filthiness of AI. There was even a report, that the endemic corruption in India covered AI spare parts ( the allusion was the spare parts were fake)
You couldn't pay me enough money to fly AI and I strongly urge you not to do so either. While the risk of something happening is presumably low the consequences may be irreversible and why take gambles like that?
Actually, it was a year or maybe two ago that there were mice/rats on a Delta flight. I have a colleague who was on a Delta flight out of Atlanta when a mouse scurried down the aisle. It happens, I guess, but gross nevertheless!
Rats on planes are a "common phenomenon worldwide" - WTF????
Were the rats travelling on paid tickets or they redeemed Star Alliance miles for the flight?
Why Star Alliance accepted Air India on board is simply beyond me!
@ Veejay -- India is a big market, and it was their only option, I guess.
Crazy! But I'm still not sure which would scare people more...rats on a plane, or this rumoured video of rats in the new BOM international lounge. The latter was a myth, though.
http://milesandevenmore.blogspot.com/2014/04/mythbuster-time-rodents-in-mumbai-t2.html
Ben, are you still sure you want to fly them???
They just need to deploy some snakes to eat the rats
He would have never made it past the rats. He hates rats, he's scared to death of them.