Delay on busy flight causes chaos as unexpected passenger shocks cabin crew

The bird jumped onto the plane at Hong Kong International Airport when the cabin crew’s backs were turned and the extra passenger pushed the journey back by nearly an hour.

A flight was delayed when an unticketed passenger decided to travel in the aircraft cabin, throwing the crew into confusion.

The winged stowaway, suspected to be a Eurasian tree sparrow, breached animal transportation regulations on a Cathay Pacific flight when it unexpectedly landed at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday.

The plane was about to take off for Kaohsiung, Taiwan, when a jet-setting bird started whistling in the cabin. The footage shows sparrows flying across a row of luggage compartments and ground staff frantically communicating via walkie-talkie.

A man wearing a white T-shirt, believed to be a passenger, was later seen trapping the bird with a blanket. He then takes it to the cabin to thunderous applause.

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1. The flight then landed in Taiwan.

The Airbus A330 departed Hong Kong about 50 minutes behind schedule at 8:55 am. The flight then landed in Taiwan at approximately 11:10 p.m., about 45 minutes later than expected.

The clip delighted viewers online, with one person joking, “I believe I can fly.” A second person commented, “This is an alternative bird attack.” Cathay Pacific has been contacted for comment.

However, a starling unexpectedly made an appearance in business class on a Singapore Airlines flight to London Heathrow in 2019, captured on video by an anonymous passenger.

The Eurasian tree sparrow was finally caught (image: Jam Press).

It is believed to have entered the plane in Singapore and remained in a dark place until high altitude and low cabin pressure prompted it to emerge. In the footage, Maina is seen sitting on a business class seat looking around as no one is paying attention to her.

According to Singapore Airlines, the stowaway starling appeared when the plane was about two hours away from landing at Heathrow and was believed to be hidden in an overhead bin or somewhere dark and quiet.

According to statistics, birds cause trouble to thousands of air passengers every year. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, there have been 270,000 reports of wildlife strikes on aircraft between 2016 and 2021.

Most attacks occur during take-off or landing, as the birds are usually present at low altitude.