'Stowaway cat' alarm on THY flight: Pilot forced to return to runway
A Turkish Airlines plane preparing for takeoff on its Istanbul-Athens flight had to return to the runway after a cat, which had been smuggled onto the aircraft by its owner, escaped.
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Turkish Airlines (THY) flight TK 1843 was forced to return from the runway while preparing for its Istanbul-Athens flight after a cat, brought on board by its owner without a ticket or a carrier, began roaming the cabin.
According to information received, the Boeing 777-300 type aircraft had completed boarding and was taxiing toward the runway for takeoff. At that moment, passengers noticed a cat wandering in the cabin. After the situation was reported to the cabin crew, the pilot contacted the Istanbul Airport Air Traffic Control Center. Following authorization, the aircraft returned to its parking position.
Checks revealed that the cat had been brought onto the plane by a passenger without a reservation, payment, or a suitable carrier. It was understood that the owner had smuggled the cat onto the plane by hiding it in carry-on luggage.
The flight continued after the cat, which lacked a ticket and a carrier, and its owner were removed from the aircraft.
It was learned that THY will apply its "blacklist" procedure to the passenger, who was found to have engaged in similar behavior previously.