Passengers expecting a routine flight from Stockholm to sunny Málaga last Saturday instead found themselves at the center of an unusual aviation drama. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight SK1583, an Airbus A320neo registered as SE-DOZ, took off from Stockholm Arlanda Airport on February 7, 2026, with travelers eager for a weekend getaway. But as the aircraft cruised high above Belgium, a tiny, four-legged stowaway changed the course of their journey—and perhaps their dinner plans.
According to reports from Simple Flying and Paddle Your Own Kanoo, the trouble began roughly midway through the scheduled four-hour trip. Passengers and crew alike spotted a mouse darting through the cabin, prompting immediate concern. While a mouse might seem like a minor inconvenience on the ground, rodents aboard aircraft are another story entirely. Their penchant for gnawing on insulation and, more worryingly, electrical wiring can spell disaster if left unchecked. The risk of electrical failure or even fire, especially in the inaccessible recesses of an airplane, is one airlines simply can’t ignore.
Faced with this threat, the flight deck made a swift decision: abort the trip to Spain and return to Stockholm. Flight tracking data, including records from Flightradar24, showed the A320neo performing a wide U-turn over Western Europe, retracing its path north. In total, passengers spent approximately three and a half hours in the air—essentially a long, looping journey that landed them right back where they started. As one might imagine, the mood on board shifted from anticipation to exasperation, with a healthy dose of disbelief thrown in for good measure.
Safety, however, remained the top priority. The potential for a mouse to cause chaos inside an aircraft is not hypothetical. As Paddle Your Own Kanoo points out, rodents are particularly troublesome because they can chew through flight-critical cabling, potentially leading to electrical issues or fires. “A single mouse can cause chaos and prove significantly disruptive and costly for an airline, but when it comes to flight safety, the risks are significant enough to warrant a diversion,” the outlet explained. In the end, all passengers and crew arrived safely back in Sweden, if not at their intended destination.
After landing, the aircraft was taken out of service for the rest of the day. Engineers at Arlanda Airport worked diligently to rid the plane of its unwelcome guest and to inspect for any damage. Interestingly, according to Flightradar24 data cited by Simple Flying, the A320neo was cleared and returned to commercial service as soon as the next day, suggesting that no harm had been done to its critical systems. As for the fate of the mouse, its whereabouts after the landing remain a mystery—no official word has emerged on whether it was ever caught or simply vanished into the airport ether.
For the inconvenienced travelers, SAS arranged a replacement aircraft, and they eventually continued on to Málaga after a significant delay. The story, though, didn’t end at the airport gates. Passengers now had a unique tale to tell—one they’d likely never expected when they packed their bags for the Costa del Sol.
Oddly enough, this was not the first time SAS has faced rodent-related disruption on a Málaga-bound flight. Less than a year and a half earlier, in September 2024, another SAS A320neo traveling from Oslo to Málaga was forced to divert mid-flight after a mouse was found hiding in a passenger’s in-flight meal, according to both Simple Flying and Paddle Your Own Kanoo. On that occasion, the aircraft made an emergency landing in Copenhagen, where passengers were transferred to another plane, and catering suppliers faced a thorough review of their processes. The airline spokesperson at the time stated that the aircraft would undergo a detailed inspection for possible damage and that catering procedures would be scrutinized to prevent a recurrence.
The issue of rodents causing mayhem in the skies isn’t limited to SAS or even to mice. In November 2024, a TAP Air Portugal Airbus A321neo was grounded at Ponta Delgada Airport in the Azores after a veritable horde—reportedly as many as 130 hamsters—escaped from their cages during a flight from Lisbon. Baggage handlers discovered the escaped rodents upon arrival, and the aircraft was kept out of service until every last hamster was accounted for. The story, covered by Paddle Your Own Kanoo, underscores just how disruptive even small animals can be in the tightly controlled environment of commercial aviation.
The potential for rodent-related chaos isn’t confined to the air, either. Airports themselves can fall victim to infestations, with consequences that ripple throughout their operations. Simple Flying recalls a 2023 incident at Manchester Airport in the UK, where staff reported seeing rodents in various parts of the terminal. Some even interacted with passengers, prompting pest control teams to conduct deep cleanings and inspections. The risks go beyond chewed wires—rodents can spread bacteria and infections, posing a public health risk in busy transportation hubs.
Despite these occasional headline-grabbing incidents, rodent problems are not widespread in aviation. Airlines and airports invest heavily in pest control and routine maintenance to keep critters at bay. Still, as Saturday’s drama aboard SK1583 shows, all it takes is one mouse to bring a multi-million-dollar jet and a planeload of passengers to an unexpected halt.
As for the passengers of SK1583, their sunny Spanish holiday was delayed, but they gained a story that’s sure to outshine most tales of travel mishaps. And for SAS, the incident serves as a reminder of the unpredictable challenges that come with keeping the skies safe—sometimes, it’s not the weather, the engines, or the schedules, but the smallest stowaway that can make all the difference.
