Plane grounded for FOUR DAYS after 132 hamsters escape and run loose

According to local newspaper Correio da Manhã, the hamsters were part of a shipment destined for a pet store, which also included ferrets and caged birds.

The aircraft could only resume service after all escaped hamsters were finally caught on Sunday.

Airport staff discovered the escape when unloading pet transport boxes at Ponta Delgada Airport, finding the hamster containers had been damaged and were empty.

The rodents had managed to break free during the flight from mainland Portugal to the Azores archipelago.

The airline was forced to ground the Airbus A321neo for safety reasons while a thorough search operation commenced.

Images shared by Correio da Manhã showed staff handling the captured hamsters, with one photograph depicting a person gripping a hamster by the scruff of its neck.

The operation to catch all 132 hamsters proved to be a lengthy task, with airport staff spending several days tracking down the elusive rodents.

Staff members meticulously searched the cargo hold, where the hamsters were hiding and scurrying around.

The final breakthrough came on Sunday when the remaining 16 hamsters were finally captured.

The successful completion of the operation marked the end of a four-day mission that had kept the aircraft out of service since the Wednesday incident.

Following the successful capture of all hamsters, the aircraft made an empty "ferry flight" back to Lisbon on Sunday.

Flight tracking data from FlightRadar showed flight TP9260 landed at 1.30pm after a two-hour journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

The aircraft returned to TAP's headquarters without any passengers on board.

TAP Air Portugal will now conduct in-depth safety checks on the Airbus A321neo to ensure the escaped rodents did not cause any serious damage during their four-day occupation of the cargo hold.

The airline has been contacted for comment regarding the unusual incident.