An Emirates flight from the UK to Dubai was delayed when a rodent was spotted on board.
EK038 had pushed back from the terminal at Birmingham Airport as it prepared to take off when the rodent was spotted. The plane returned to the terminal and passengers were disembarked.
“Passengers were accommodated in hotels overnight and were re-routed on other available Emirates flights to Dubai,” said a spokesman.
Engineering and cleaning staff worked to clear the aircraft on June 15, which never left the ground, before it resumed flight service.
“We apologise for the inconvenience caused,” the airline said.
A number of reports described a video of the incident that purportedly went viral, although Emirates said the video was untrue and not authentic. “We never confirmed the veracity of the video,” the spokesman said, adding that the video was filmed on an Emirates flight while the plane was in the air, but EK038 had never left the ground.
British boxer David Haye, a former WBA heavyweight champion, was aboard the plane when the incident occurred.
“On tarmac & flight got cancelled as tiny mouse running around cabin. So spending another night. What’s hot in Birmingham tonight?” he posted on Twitter.
esamoglou@thenational.ae
* The article has been amended since it was first published.
