An Air Canada flight was delayed Wednesday because of the antics of a cat on the loose.
Ripples, 10, was on a Halifax to Toronto flight with his owner when he got loose from his improperly fastened carrying case, reports The Globe and Mail.
“They were of course first looking [for Ripples] in the cabin, as I understand it. Then it became apparent that it had gone into the cockpit,” Peter Spurway, vice-president of corporate communications for the Halifax Airport Authority, told National Post.
According to CBC News, after fleeing into the cockpit, Ripples got into the plane's avionics, which houses important navigational instruments. The wiring was later checked for damage.
In the course of the search effort, the plane's power was turned off and all passengers were removed from the plane. Maintenance came in and disassembled parts of the cockpit to locate the cat.
"Our flight crews were not successful in coaxing the cat out of the avionics bay so our maintenance crews had to open it from an alternative access panel, which took time to disassemble," an Air Canada spokeswoman told CBC.
Ultimately the whole event caused a four hour delay of the flight. Some passengers were able to be put on different flights, but most had to wait it out.
"We're looking at several hours of delay, which is very, very unfortunate. The primary concerns are let's retrieve the pet safely and then let's make sure that everything is proper for the plane to go," Peter Spurway, a spokesman for the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, told CBC.
Passengers seemed to be in good spirits about the incident, though. "It's hilarious, really. It's so random," said passenger Kyle Warkentin.
Thankfully Ripples was recovered safely. That was not the case for Jack the Cat, who also escaped from his pet carrier at JFK airport. Jack was indeed recovered after being lost in the airport for two months, but died soon thereafter from his injuries.