Passengers on a Singapore Airlines flight last Monday was entertained by a local bird – a Javan Mynah – who got stuck on the plane for the 14-hour journey from Singapore to London.
A video posted online showed the bird, a starling native to Asia and commonly seen in Singapore, resting casually on a passenger's headrest. When an air steward tried to capture it, the fast-reacting biped managed to dart off in time.
According to a Straits Times report, the incident was confirmed by a SIA spokesman. The bird was handed over to animal quarantine authorities as soon as the aircraft touched down in London. The spokesperson did not clarify how the bird managed to enter the plane.
While incidents of birds hitching a ride on planes are rare, they are not unheard of. In 2017, an Atlanta-bound Delta Airlines flight had to turn around back to Detroit after a sparrow flew into the plane’s cockpit and went nuts. Last year, passengers onboard a Bangkok-Doha flight was entertained by a trapped bird that flew around the cabin attempting to escape.