A Belgian shepherd managed to escape its cage in the cargo hold of a Croatia Airlines Airbus A319 at Zagreb Airport on September 30, while the aircraft was taxiing for takeoff to Stockholm. The dog’s escape caused damage to the jet, prompting the crew to notice unusual noises coming from the cargo area. As a result, the aircraft returned to the gate, and passengers were rebooked onto a different plane. The affected aircraft, with registration 9A-CTL, was withdrawn from service for 13 days to undergo repairs, resuming operations last Sunday.

According to Croatia Airlines, all Croatian and international regulations, as well as internal procedures for animal transportation, had been followed during the dog’s preparation for flight OU486 from Zagreb to Stockholm. The airline decided to take the aircraft out of service as a precautionary measure to conduct a thorough inspection following the incident. Passengers were transferred to a replacement aircraft to reach their destination on the same evening. The circumstances leading to the incident are currently under investigation.

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