Passengers were left alarmed after an Indian fruit bat was spotted flying around a plane before forcing it into an emergency landing.
Footage of the bizarre incident shows the bat soaring through the aircraft on Thursday last week.
The Air India flight from Delhi, India, to Newark, US, took off at 2.20am.
The bat was spotted on the Boeing 777 passenger jet a mere 30 minutes into the 15-hour flight.
Passengers twisted and turned to keep an eye on the bat as it flew in circles around the cabin.
The flight captain informed Air Traffic Control of their extra passenger.
The plane was advised to turn around and make an emergency landing.
(Image: Flightmode/Facebook)
The aircraft was forced to dump $300,000 (£211,605) worth of fuel before returning to Indira Gandhi International Airport.
It landed safely and stunned passengers found themselves back on the ground in the Indian capital city at 3.55am.
Wildlife experts boarded the plane to retrieve the bat – but it was found dead, in the Business Class section.
The bat’s lifeless body was removed and the plane was fumigated.
A spokesperson for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in India said: “The bat was found dead in the plane.”
This is believed to be the first time a live bat has been found on an Air India flight.
(Image: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The airline has asked for a detailed report from the engineering team of the B777-300ER aircraft.
An Air India official said the bat could have snuck onto the plane from a catering vehicle.
They said: “Mammals such as this one have the possibility of coming from third party vehicles, like catering vehicles.”
The Indian flying fox bat, also known as the greater Indian fruit bat, is one of the largest in the world, with a wingspan of 1.2 to 1.5 feet.